A New Strength
by keira-kyuketsuki
Summary: Sakura makes it through the preliminary rounds of the Chunin Exams. But to her horror, her first opponent in the finals is Gaara! Can she learn an amazing new techinique in the month they are given? And who is this mysterious blonde-haired woman who says she can give Sakura a fighting chance? GaaraxSakura, GaaSaku. T for violence and laguage.
1. Prelims Conclude

**Oh good God, I'm so sorry DX I've been gone sooooo loooonnnnggggg! I should probably work on my other FFs, but oh well. Truthfully, I'll probably never get a few of those done. I just lose interest in them. If you want, PM me or say something in a review and if you want to finish it/learn what happens, I'll tell you if it's one I completely lost interest in. Stay away from the PoM one, though. My mind works in mysterious ways, and I have really long, complicated ideas. That is one I swear I will finish!**

**(I just need to be motivated…. T-T At this rate, I'll only be writing one-shots)**

**Anyways, this is my new one, yet again! It is a GaaraxSakura. I'm telling you now, so haters? See that button at the top of the screen? Yes, the one with the arrow on it? Click it. Now. Buh-bye. I am proud to say that I support both Gaara, Sakura, and GaaSaku! CHA!**

**KK out~!**

* * *

~Sakura POV~

I struggled to stand. Across the floor, I saw Ino trying to do so as well. I got one shaky leg under me and then the other. That final hit almost got both of us. But while I continued to stand, Ino fell to the floor, out cold.

"Since Yamanaka Ino _-cough_- is unable to continue, Haruno Sakura is the winner."

A huge smile graced my face as my body decided it couldn't stand anymore. I fell back, expecting to hit the floor, but instead landed in the strong arms of my sensei. I could tell by the creases in his mask that he was smiling down at me, so I smiled back at him. As I, too, fell into unconsciousness, I heard him say, "Good job, Sakura. Now rest."

When I woke up from a weird dream, Ino was sitting beside me "About time you woke up, Sakura." Lee and his mentor stood at the rail in front of me, yelling encouragement to Tenten.

"What happened? D-did I lose? To you?" I felt myself tear up.

"Bah! I should be the one crying. I can't believe I lost to someone like you Sakura."

"Lost? You mean, I won?"

"Yeah, Sakura. Here," she handed me my forehead protector, "and - you made it bloom. Into a beautiful flower." She smiled at me.

"Ino…" I smiled back at her, taking my headband and putting it back on.

"Next time, I won't lose! And I'll never hand Sasuke over to you!"

"You had to say something like that, didn't you!" We growled at each other and looked away. There was a commotion at the rail, so I got up to see what it was. The girl - Tenten - was knocked out on the other girl's fan. Kunai, chain-scythes, and other assorted weapons were scattered on the ground.

"How boring," said the girl from the sand village. The proctor announced 'Temari' the winner. The girl smirked, then flung Tenten into the wall. Fortunately, before she could hit it, Lee caught her. "Nice catch." Temari said turning.

"Why did you do that?" Lee asked, "She gave her all in this battle, and you treat her like that?"

"Shut up and get that loser out of here." Temari replied, making Lee angry.

"Lee, no!" Neji yelled.

Lee was attacking Temari before he even got it out. She caught his foot on her fan and chuckled. "Just as I thought, you're so pathetic."

"What?" He was about to attack again when Gai-sensei jumped down saying, "Lee, stop!" Lee obeyed with a sad look.

"Damn." Temari said.

"Temari, get up here! You've already won. Stop wasting time with that guardian guy." I looked to where the cold voice originated from. The boy with red hair and the kanji for love carved into his forehead. He and Lee glared at each other.

"Enough, Lee." Gai-sensei stood beside the shaking Lee and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sand team!" Gai commanded the attention of the entire room, not just his intended audience. "If you don't mind, I'm going to tell you something about this kid. This kid is strong, so you'd better prepare yourself!"

All around me, people were muttering about how foolish he was to take on the sand team. Not me, though. I looked at the red head. He seemed… Distressed. Angry. He shifted his gaze to meet mine. I jumped, shocked. His eyes held so much sadness, so much pain! Just like Naruto's used to.

"Sakura, are you alright?" said boy asked.

"Yeah," I said smiling, "but you better not lose to those guys, Naruto!" I finished by yelling. Naruto and even Kakashi-sensei seemed surprised.

"Sakura…"

"If you lose, you're not a man. Then how will you be able to face Sasuke?"

"Heh, of course!" He smiled his annoying, happy-go-lucky smile at me.

I gently smiled back. "But I really do owe you. If it weren't for your screaming like an idiot, Ino would have taken over, and I never would have won. Thank you."

"Yeah, you're right." He said and turned to Lee, who had joined us. Both started to yell about how they _had _to be next. _Damn you, Naruto!_ I thought. He is so ungracious! I smirked when neither was chosen. Instead, it was Shikamaru and the girl from the sound team, Kin. I shuddered when she glared my way. She was still angry that I escaped her. Truthfully, I'm still used to my lack of hair, but I like it better. The girl was right, though. I don't need to focus solely on beauty if I'm going to become a great kunoichi. Who cares what Sasuke thinks!

Shikamaru won, easily. Next up… Naruto and Kiba. Naruto practically exploded with joy. I watched every detail. _Naruto's amazing! He's grown so much! He even won!_ He didn't take Kiba down easily, though, but he did! Although he kind of stole Sasuke's attack…which was stolen from Lee…

Still, it was pretty awesome. "Hell yeah, Team Seven!" I yelled. "We all made it!" Naruto joined me in celebrating, until Hinata approached us blushing. I moved away from them, giving them some privacy. Everyone knows about Hinata's crush on Naruto. No one knew why, but she is head over heels for him. I leaned against the rail while they talked. Across the room, on the other side, that boy, Gaara, was looking around, probably to judge his competition. He hasn't fought yet, so there's a chance his full team will make it to the finals, too. I don't doubt that he will make it in.

His gaze met mine. I was busted staring at him! He glared right back. I waved to him smiling nervously. He's just a little lonely, right?

I noticed the others on his team glancing nervously between us. His mentor shook his head slightly at me. Was it a warning? He leaned forward to talk to his student.

"Sakura! You have to try this medicine! It's amazing!" Naruto interrupted, so I never caught what happened next. The medicine Naruto was so eager to show me seemed to heal his wounds instantly, but I refused his offer.

The next match was Hinata versus her cousin, Neji. Kakashi-sensei explained the different branches to us. Then the fight began. I stopped watching about halfway through, only peeking here and there. She was going to lose. But still, she fought on. I had tears in my eyes when they took her away to the emergency room. Naruto… Maybe he has feelings for her too. He swore on her blood that he would defeat Neji for her.

I looked at Gaara one last time. He seemed to get excited at the sight of the blood. I saw his eyes dart from drop to each individual, tiny drop. After all that, Naruto headed back up to us, followed by the other guy from the sand team, the one in the black jumpsuit and purple makeup. They were talking about Neji. I could tell because Naruto yelled about how he 'would kick his ass'. Even the guy from the sand can't put up with Naruto for too long. That got me giggling.

"And now, the next match will begin." the proctor announced. Almost the whole room held its breath in anticipation from the next match.

"Watch it, Choji. The only people left are pretty strong." Shikamaru warned his friend. "Especially the sand guy. His eyes are dangerous." Choji said he would just forfeit when his battle came around, only to be enticed by Asuma-sensei with promises of steak and protection. Gai-sensei was encouraging Lee. "Surely you're next, Lee!"

"No. I have waited this long, I might as well go last," he replied crossing his arms. _Aren't you being kind of bratty, Lee?_ I thought at him. Of course he didn't hear it.

There was a commotion on the floor below. When I returned my attention to it, it was none other than Gaara appear in a swirl of sand. "Get down here," he said to my side of the room.

I glanced at the screen:

_Sabaku no Gaara_

_Versus_

_Rock Lee_

"WOOOOOOO!" Choji exclaimed in relief.

Another 'Woooo!' was let loose by Lee. "You fell for it! If you say you _want _to go last, you'll be next! That is how it always turns out!"

Finally, Lee gets his turn. But… I have a bad feeling. _And what's with Gaara's gourd? What is it for?_

Gai turned to Lee. "Lee, I have come across some info that no one else may have noticed, but that gourd is suspicious." Lee started writing everything down. "Don't do that! You'll never be able to look at it in battle!"

"Yes sir, Gai-sensei!"

"Now go Lee!"

"YES!" Then Lee jumped over the side. _Is he going to be alright?_ He landed, stood, then faced his opponent. "To be able to battle you this soon… I couldn't be happier."

"Pft." was all the response he got.

"He's got no chance against Gaara. It doesn't matter what kind of moves he has," said Gaara's teammate. Thankfully, Naruto defended our friend with, "No. He's strong."

Something was shot towards Lee. He caught it and held it up. It was the cork to Gaara's gourd. "There is no need to get antsy," said Lee. The glare Gaara sent him gave me chills.

"9th match, now begin!" announced the proctor with a cough. What's his name? Hayate. He should probably get that cough checked out.

Lee attacked Gaara with a spinning kick, which was blocked by sand that flowed out of the gourd? Huh? "He…he can control sand?" _So _that's _what the gourd is for. It holds his sand._

"Yes. It is his primary weapon." I jumped and turned away from the battle. Gaara's teammate was standing right behind me!

"Um… Kankuro-san, right?"

"Yes. And you're Haruno Sakura, correct?"

"Yes," I replied with a bow. I straightened up with, "It's nice to meet you, Kankuro-san. You battled well. Congratulations."

He looked at me strangely as he replied, "The same to you." I turned back to the battle after a few minutes of awkward silence where he just studied me.

"Lee-san is so fast, but none of his attacks are landing. All because of the sand." Lee tried attacking from every angle possible, but that sand got in the way every time!

"His attacks have no effect." Naruto said.

"No physical attacks work on him," Kankuro explained, "whether he likes it or not, the sand always shields and protects him. That's why not even one person has ever injured Gaara." We looked astonished at what he was saying. Gaara's never been hurt? Never felt pain?

"So he's never felt pain?" Naruto asked.

"Never any _physical _pain, no." I answered for Kankuro.

He looked at me in the same strange way as before, as if seeing me in a new light. "How would you…" he muttered, then shook it off. "Never mind. Can I talk to you alone, Haruno-san?"

I felt my eyes widen. "Uh, yeah, sure." We walked away from the crowds. Before we left, however, I heard Naruto asking about why Lee was only using taijutsu. Gai's answer shocked me. No talent for ninjutsu or genjutsu? Amazing. He's so powerful. Unlike me. What if I get someone really strong to fight in the finals? I doubt I could even beat Naruto, much less the others.

"…my brother." Kankuro said.

"Huh?" I wasn't listening!

He sighed. "I just wanted to warn you. Stay away from my brother," he repeated, eyes flicking to the battle, then back to mine.

"Gaara's your brother?"

"Yes. And before you ask, Temari is our sister. But back to Gaara. He's dangerous. Don't go near him. Don't look at him. Don't even say his name anymore. You've sparked something inside of him, something dangerous. You caught his attention. And now he won't stop for anything, trying to get to you, whether he wants to just spill your blood or steal your life. Stay. Away. For your own safety."

I glanced quickly at the battle. Lee kept jumping back to keep away from the sand chasing after him, eventually landing on the giant carved hand sign at the end of the hall. I looked back to Kankuro and nodded. We returned to the others in time to feel the whole building shake from the weights on Lee's legs. Every mouth hung open, except for Kakashi - who held his face in his hand - Gaara, and Gai-sensei.

Gai shouted encouragement to Lee, who yelled out of happiness, then disappeared momentarily. When he appeared again, he was directly behind Gaara. He went in for a punch, only to be stopped inches away from the sand-wielder's face. Again and again, kick after punch after kick, halted by sand just inches from the target.

"Although he can't use genjutsu or ninjutsu, he's a taijutsu specialist." Gai said as Lee jumped over Gaara… And kicked him in the head. Kankuro and Temari seemed more shocked than anyone else in the room. Lee… who knew he was so fast? "I told you: 'this kid is strong'. He won't lose in speed to anyone." Gaara stood, a cut on his cheek. Lee stood, a smirk on his face.

"Now we're just getting started." Lee said. He started jumping all around Gaara, taunting him with 'Over here!' before finally going in for the hit. Right on the cheek.

"So fast! It's incredible! The sand wall can't keep up at all!" I said.

"This is bad." Kankuro said.

"Well _yeah! _He took a pretty heavy hit!" Naruto exclaimed.

"That's not the 'bad' I meant." Naruto and I looked at him confusedly. I looked back at the battle and gasped, a hand covering my mouth. Gaara's face was cracked. Pieces of it fell to the floor, turning from flesh- to sand-colored. The rest of his body turned the same color, save his eyes and the wickedly-grinning bottom half a his face.

"Sand covering his entire body… So he's basically unscratched." Kakashi said thoughtfully. I bit my thumbnail. _What-what _is _he? _I was beginning to lose any kind thoughts for him. But his eyes! Though consumed in an undeniable rage and insanity, his eyes still held the pain of a lonely little boy, just barely. I looked away.

"His face is falling apart?" Naruto asked. But Kankuro was lost in his own thoughts. I laid a hand over Naruto's mouth to hear

"_That _face… it's been awhile since I saw it last… he's usually so calm and collected, so emotionless… I felt that he was losing control in these Chunin Exams… the 'other guy' is fully awake…" He finally gained focus. "If he gets caught by this Gaara, he'll be killed, just for fun."

The sand gathered around Gaara, forming his shield, I think? "What is that? Did it stop Lee-san's attacks from earlier?" I asked.

"His armor of sand." Was Kankuro's answer.

"Armor? What's the difference between the shield and the armor?" Naruto was more confused.

Kankuro remained calm, though. "His armor is a thin layer of sand that covers his body. Unlike the shield, which is automatic, _he_ controls it. It is Gaara's absolute defense."

"So there's nothing you can do about it… no weakness…" Even Naruto got that.

I was beginning to get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. A sinking feeling. It tells me that I'll be the first one to go up against Gaara in the finals.

"Is that all?" the red head asked.

Lee thought for a moment, then looked up at Gai-sensei. He nodded back, and Lee started to unravel his bandages. The Lotus! The move Sasuke and Naruto stole! The sand couldn't protect against that! Lee ran in a circle around Gaara, earning impatience from the latter. "Hurry up and come."

"As you wish!" Lee appeared before him and kicked him into the air. Gaara grunted as he crossed his arms in front of him for protection. "It's not over!" Lee yelled as he kicked Gaara higher and higher into the air.

"End it here, Lee. The Lotus is self-damaging!" Gai muttered.

Lee's bandages wrapped around Gaara. Lee grabbed him and spun into the ground, jumping away at the last moment.

When the dust cleared, Gaara was lying on the ground. "Lee-san won!" I said.

"Do you think he's dead?" asked Naruto.

"Hey, no way!" Kankuro seemed offended.

I giggled, then heard a _'crack'._ I turned my eyes to Gaara. Only it wasn't him. It was an empty shell that fell to pieces. Kind of creepy.

"When did he leave the sand? There's no way Lee could have missed that!" Gai yelled.

"When you closed you're eyes to pray." Kakashi-sensei said. "He paused for a moment because of pain."

Gaara stood up behind Lee, sand almost covering him, with a dark chuckle. Lee turned, an arm raised in defense. Sand exploded from behind Gaara, catching Lee and throwing him against the wall, then attacked again. Kankuro looked scared. Gaara licked his lips in seeing the indentation made in the wall.

"Why didn't Lee dodge?" I wondered out loud.

"The Lotus is a double-edged sword." Gai answered. Kakashi explained how it stresses the body.

"Lee-san… At this rate, he'll…" I couldn't finish.

Still he fought, dodging the sand. Gai was lost in memories. I can't take it anymore! "Lee-san! Don't!" Gaara glanced my way. Kankuro shot me a sharp look.

Suddenly, Lee's strength returned. He was able to dodge the next wave of sand. He smiled. "He's smiling…even though he's getting pushed around."

"The tables will turn, now," Gai said, "the lotus of the leaf blooms twice." I remember him telling me that. That he would also become a stronger man.

"You are finished here," Gaara's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Either way," Lee answered, "this will end it."

"Gai, you didn't!" Kakashi sounded surprised. Gai smiled. "That _genin _can open the Eight Celestial Inner Gates?"

"He has the ability-"

"Even with the ability, it's such a dangerous technique! The 'Extreme Lotus' should never be taught!" Gai was silent. "Gai… I don't know what that kid means to you, but there are limits!" Kakashi looked disgusted. "I've lost all respect for you, Gai."

Gai glared at him from the corner of his eye. "What would you know about that boy?" He returned his gaze to Lee. "That boy is special, he has a special dream, something he wants to prove. I wanted to turn him into a man who can accomplish it."

"He healed so quickly… Gai, how many can he open?"

"Five."

Kakashi gasped. "_Five!_ That kid's not just hard-working, he's a genius!"

"The 'Eight Celestial Gates'? What is this?" asked Neji coolly.

So even he didn't know? Gai explained, but I lost interest. I don't think anyone else heard them talking, everyone was so riveted on the battle. _A dangerous technique? I hope Lee will be ok. _"If you open all eight gates, you will gain powers greater than a kage, but in return you will die." Kakashi told Neji.

Lee's skin turned deep red, and veins popped up on his head. When he looked up, I saw his completely white eyes. The ground around him seemed to crumble as he said, "Third Gate, the Gate of Life, open!" He roared, probably opening another gate. Rocks flew, torn from the ground and circling Lee. I'm not sure what happened next, it was all just a blur before my eyes, but rocks started flying up and hitting people. When the dust cleared, both fighters were gone.

"Gaara?" Kankuro shouted, followed by Naruto's "Where did they go?" Someone shouted, "Above us!" I looked up. There was Gaara, face up in the air, but no Lee. The sand made a desperate attempt at protecting Gaara, but it couldn't even keep up. Lee, nothing but a blur, kept hitting or kicking his opponent in the air. The sand armor fell off in pieces. Gaara was slammed to the ground, only to be caught in Lee's bandages. Lee pulled up on them and held out a fist and foot, hitting Gaara with extreme force.

Gaara should have been finished, but the gourd on his back turned to sand as well. Lee fell close to him. Without standing up, Gaara raised his hand and sand collected around Lee's left arm and leg. He tried to run, but it was too late. He screamed as Gaara closed his fist. More sand threatened the unconscious Lee, but was stopped by Gai.

Gaara seemed to freak out, grabbing his head. "Why… why did you save him?"

"He is my beloved comrade," answered Gai coldly.

Gaara stood and started leaving, his gourd re-forming. He was declared winner due to Gai's interference. But then, Lee stood, shocking the whole crowd. Gai turned to talk with Lee, but instead started crying. Lee stood, unconscious, as Gai hugged him.

Gaara looked on in silence. I jumped onto the railing, trying to get down there to help, but was stopped by one hand on my shoulder and another grabbing the back of my dress. Kakashi held my shoulder, while Kankuro pulled back on my dress.

"You consoling him won't help, it will only make it harder," what Kakashi said was punctuated by Kankuro's voice hissing in my ear, "Idiot! I told you to avoid Gaara, and you want to jump straight into his line of vision! Do you have a death wish or something?"

Naruto jumped down, though, and ran to Lee's side. The medical ninja talked to Gai about something. I'm not sure what about, but Naruto made a fuss about it. Kakashi abandoned me to silence him. Kankuro was staring at the ground, scared. I followed his gaze to Gaara, who was watching _me!_ He had this creepy, sadistic smile on his face. He then disappeared and reappeared next to his sister and mentor.

The next match began. Choji versus Dosu, the last sound nin. Dosu won, easily.

All the winners lined up in front of Anko, Ibiki, Hayate, and the Third-sama. The order, from the left, was: Shikamaru, Shino, Naruto, Neji, Temari, me, Kankuro, Dosu, and finally Gaara

"Although one is mi_-cough-_ssing, I would like to congratulate the winners of the _-cough-_ preliminary round of the third test of the Chunin Exams. _-Coughcough-_"

Third Hokage-sama stepped forward and cleared his throat. "_-Ahem-_ As you already know, the main matches will be viewed publicly. You must fight well, as representatives of you're different countries. I'd like to see you're full strength, which is why the finals are being held one month from now."

"You mean we're not doing them here and now?" Naruto asked.

"This -let's call it a 'break' - will be for preparations." answered Third-sama.

"What does that mean?" This time the question came from Neji.

"To put it simply, we must inform the leaders of the various countries, and to arrange for the gathering of people coming to view this event. Also, this is time for the students to 'study'."

"Study? What do you mean?" Kankuro pitched in from beside me, asking what we were all thinking.

"This is time to get to know you're enemy, as well as yourself. This time period is to calculate you're chances of winning by analyzing the data you collected during this trial examination. These battles have put you in actual combat situations. You fought an unknown opponent, with Justus you had to learn to avoid." His eyes scanned us finalists. "The final trial will not be like this, though. Some of you -" I swear they stopped lingered on me for just a split second, before moving on - "have already shown all you have. Some have been seriously injured here." My thoughts turned to Lee and Hinata. "To make it fair, you are to use this month to advance yourselves and improve your skills. Of course, you'll have time to rest, too. Any more questions?" No one raised their voice. "Well, I'd like to dismiss you now, but there is one more thing -"

"What now, I gotta train!" Naruto yelled. Anko started toward us holding a box.

"Don't get so excited. There are pieces of paper inside the box. Each of you take one."

"I'll get to all of you, don't worry." Anko said as she walked down the line. "Only take one, now."

Once we all had our paper, Anko returned to our leader's side. "Wonderful! Now, stating from the left, tell me your number."

One by one, we called out our numbers. There were ten of us, so there would be five matches. Shikamaru got eight, Shino got six, Naruto and Neji got one and two. They would be the first match! Temari got seven, she would go up against Shikamaru. I announced my number, nine, mentally noting the few very strong people left. I prayed Kankuro, the seemingly nicer of those left would say ten, but my hopes were dashed when he said five instead. Up against that creepy bug guy, Shino. Dosu - I don't want him. He's strong. Luckily, he called out four. But that left Gaara! My heartbeat sped. Again, I prayed. I prayed he would say three. Sasuke would be gentler with me, right? I mean, I'm his teammate. Gaara threatened to _kill _his own _brother_.

Kankuro went rigid. I glanced down the line out of the corner of my eye. Gaara was grinning sadistically. He glanced at sideways at me.

"Ten."

I'm going to fight Gaara.


	2. Training, Attack, and a Sensei

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**XEmotionalx, LibertyForFreedom455, AceDevil1825, Freak-With-Issues, angel897**

**Also, the last chapter was based mostly on the manga. I reread the Chunin Exam Prelims Arc and made a few changes, like Sakura winning and her talk with Kankuro. I also changed the order of the contestants and battles for the finals. Most of the rest of this story will be made up as I go along, but enjoy!**

~Gaara POV~

The girl with the pink hair… I saw her staring at me during the preliminary rounds. I don't know why. But I stared at her some, too. She never knew. During the test, and also on the forest. I stare at her now, as she trains. Mostly I stare at her hair. It is a beautiful color. Not pink, specifically. But that _shade_ of pink. I've seen it before. When I was on a mission. I don't remember all the details, but I do remember the color. It was someplace snowy. It was way too cold. But we had to capture some rouge ninjas. It was our mission. And besides, they needed me. I _am_ the strongest weapon they have, after all. We reached their hideout. We lured them outside. It was a full moon. Instead of capturing them, I killed them.

Slowly and painfully, for most. I relished in the sounds of their screams. It made me stronger. Temari and Kankuro were supposed to stop me, but they knew that they couldn't. They would only earn themselves a spot higher on my kill list. They're still at the bottom, for now.

Then… I saw _it._

The ninjas' red blood, mixing with the white snow. It created a beautiful color. A beautiful, _pink_ color. It was amazing! I killed them carefully, making sure their blood drained completely out of their bodies, then I mixed it into the snow. I wanted to gather some up and keep it, but I knew it would melt in the harsh desert. But now I had the color forever. I watched her cut her hair to get away from the sound nin and rescue her team. As soon as they left that area, I collected some of her hair. It was the exact same color as the snow-blood, but it lacked something. Shine, maybe. It's never there for me, even if I move it like she does. But whenever _she_ moves, it - whatever _it_ is - it's there. So I continue to watch her. Her hair I separated into three parts. One I kept with me, the other two in our room here in case something happens to the one I have.

And now I watch the girl that adds the 'shine' as she stood facing a wooden post. I followed her to the hospital yesterday, when she went to visit her friends. The one I fought earlier… I almost killed him, but her blonde teammate and the shadow guy interrupted that. But the point is, she had _no idea._ Some ninja she is!

I wonder what her blood will look like? It got me excited to think about it. Temari and Kankuro want to stop me, have they taken a liking to her? Oh, well. We know the plan. I won't kill her yet. I'll bide my time, and when it's right, I'll strike. I don't know how much longer I can wait, though. I can almost smell her blood, a rich, coppery scent. I hold my hand up, visibly shaking.

_I can't wait to kill this bitch!_

~Sakura POV~

Every time I walk through town, I hear the whispers. I know they're about me. The people always stop talking when I walk by them. They talk about my chances at winning. They gamble - the insignificant little pink-haired Konoha kunoichi versus the deadly, most dangerous weapon of the Wind country, the Suna shinobi - most bet against me. They know about it the day after the prelims end. I tried to ignore them, but when I visited Lee and Sasuke yesterday, they just followed me. In the flower shop. On the streets. Walking down the hospital corridors. They haunted me, everywhere I went. Something strange happened at the hospital. I felt someone watching me as I signed in and walked down the halls. Something sinister followed me.

When I talked to Ino later that day about it, she told me I was just being paranoid. I was still in shock from having that psycho as my opponent. No big deal. I like having Ino as a friend again.

She also told me to give up the fight when it came. Maybe I should… I still have 28 days to think about it though, and I've quit devoting my time to my beauty. And now, two days after _he_ said that number, I'm standing in front of a wooden post, practicing taijutsu on it. _Left, right, kick-kick, jab._

I sensed three familiar charka signatures behind me. I hit the post a couple more times and then face my worried team.

"Sakura, what are you going to do?" asked Kakashi.

"Sakura, you're no match for that guy. You should give up." This from… Sasuke?

I blushed. "Y-you care about me that much?"

"Well, _duh! _We all do!" Naruto butted in. He knows how to ruin a moment, doesn't he?

"I…" I sighed. "I might. I'm seriously considering it."

"Sakura!" Naruto seemed mad. "You can't just give up like that! Show some backbone! He'll only win if you let him!"

And then _he _appeared. In a swirl of sand, between my teammates and I. His sand shot towards me. I was able to dodge most of it, but some wrapped itself around my left calf and pulled me back. I could barely hear my friends call my name, I was screaming so loud. I was being pulled closer to the boy. My fingernails dug into the ground, tangling in grass and pulling up clods of dirt. Soon I was standing in front of him, with my back to him, facing my team. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pressed it against my throat. His other hand held a kunai. He took the weapon and sliced it across my cheek. Not very deep, just enough to draw blood. After he caught sight of my blood dripping down my chin, he dropped the kunai, digging his fingers into my face. He twisted it closer to him, then licked it! I looked him in the eye as he did.

Maybe he is deranged! _Why _did I have to catch his attention? Why not Ino? He shuddered, then released me and stepped away. And just like that, he was gone. I fell to the ground shaking. My cheek still bled, but a hand pressed against it, staunching the flow. Kakashi was there, staring intently at me. I realized that while Gaara had attacked me, he attacked Gaara, never getting through the sand shield. Sasuke and Naruto, who had been frozen up to that point, ran over and knelt beside Kakashi and me. They placed a hand on either of my shoulders. And with my team supporting me like that, I cried. Big, gasping bawls that shook my entire body, and probably half of theirs, too. I told them about Kankuro's warning. And then I lied for some reason. "I-I'm so scared. I don't know what to do!"

The truth is, I'm not that scared. I'm not scared at all. When I looked into his eyes, I saw two people. Er, two _things._ No, wait, it was more like a _thing_ and a _person. _Two separate souls, I guess. The meaner thing - a monster, I guess - was in control then. But behind that, I saw the same thing I saw earlier: a lost, sad, confused and rejected little boy. There has to be a way to bring _him_ out. Even if the only way is to… _fight _him. When I had a little more control over my breathing, I gulped. Kakashi offered me some water, thinking I was just thirsty, but I took it anyway. I forced myself to take long, slow sips, then took a few deep breaths when I was done.

"I-I'm ok, now. I need to get up." Naruto and Sasuke stood and offered me their hands. When Kakashi stepped away, I took both. I was still trembling a bit, so Naruto squeezed my hand. I smiled at them, then almost fell again. Sasuke caught me.

"What's the matter?" he asked. I blushed again.

"It's my leg." I glanced down and saw the damage the sand did to my calf. It was all scratched and bloody. "I need to clean it."

Sasuke wrapped an arm around me. Naruto did the same. They were my support. "Let's get you to the hospital," Kakashi said, then led the way. Once there, the nurses washed it with soap and water, put some alcohol on it for extra measure, then wrapped it up. I would have done that. We got ramen when we left, and I had a chance to talk to my team.

"I could have done that myself." I told them.

"We just wanted to make sure you would be ok." Sasuke said.

"I don't need to be babied."

"You need to understand that we want what's best for you." Kakashi didn't eat anything, meaning he didn't have to take off his mask. I took a bite of food.

"Sakura… Don't fight that guy." This from Naruto? I almost choked on my ramen. "His eyes are evil. Just, _don't._ Please." Shocked silence from everyone, even Teuchi and Ayame.

"Naruto…" I almost started crying again. My teammates care for me so much! And what do I do? Nothing! Nothing but tell off Naruto to fawn over Sasuke. I was no help in any missions. What's a girl like me to do? I'm completely useless. But Gaara doesn't know me. He doesn't know I'm like that. Maybe, since he doesn't, I can help him. "I'm sorry, Naruto." A tear escaped my eye. "I have to." I turned to Kakashi. "Can you help me train, Kakashi-sensei?"

"No, I'm sorry. I already promised to train Sasuke."

"Sakura, you can't fight him!" Sasuke said. "Naruto and I are going away to train with people for the month, what will you do?"

I was shocked. They're going away to train? Both of them? "I-I'll train myself." Their faces fell. "I have to fight him! You don't understand." Naruto and Sasuke started yelling at me, telling me how stupid and weak I was. I just smiled. Kakashi watch, slightly sad. I stopped the boys' yells by placing a hand on their mouths. "You guys are so noisy! We're in public, have some respect. And, the more you talk about me like that, the more you just prove my point." They looked shocked. "Haven't you heard the people in town? All they talk about is my match with Gaara. Taking and placing bets, praying for me, all that stuff. I need to prove to them-" _and myself _"-that they are wrong, that I can hold my own against Gaara."

"You're stupid pride is going to get you killed!" Sasuke said.

"Pride? No, it's not her pride," Kakashi butt in, "there's something you're not telling us, isn't there Sakura?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, hopefully with a straight face, "and besides, I'm weaker than Naruto, remember Sasuke? I'm bound to die early at my level."

"That doesn't mean you should throw away your life! Sakura, quit-" I hugged him.

"Sasuke, I love you. I know you don't feel the same, but it's true. Please, grow stronger, for yourself. You have something you have to do, right? Don't worry about me." He '_Tch'_ed and broke out of my grip, leaving the ramen hut. I turned to Naruto. He told not to, but I hugged him too. "You get stronger as well, Naruto. Become Hokage. You'll be the best one, I know it." He, too, broke out of my grip, but turned and placed his hand on my shoulder. I could tell he didn't agree with my choice, but there's nothing he can do about it. On an impulse, I removed his headband and placed a kiss on his forehead. I gave him his forehead protector back. He left, saying something about having to meet his mentor.

"Sakura, be careful. He attacked you today, in broad daylight, even with your team _right there._ He's dangerous. I would suggest finding a mentor, a strong one that can protect you in case he tries again." At least Kakashi isn't going to try to stop me. He's even helping me! He placed a hand on my shoulder. "I have faith in you. I believe in you. But that alone won't save you. Train your hardest, under your mentor, and become a great kunoichi. I know you can."

"So you're demanding I get a mentor? Fine, I'll try." I hugged him. "Kakashi-sensei, you're an amazing teacher. If I die… don't let Naruto and Sasuke be sad for too long. Don't let them regret not stopping me. This is my choice, there is nothing they could have done."

He returned my hug with one hand. "Only if you promise not to die. You three are three of the most talented pupils I've had the honor to lead."

I made no promises, but left then, leaving my food unfinished. When I tried to pay, Ayame just waved it off. "It's on the house, Sakura-chan."

I thanked them, then returned to the training grounds. When I got there, someone was already training. A woman with blonde hair hit the post softly, as if in warm up, then hit it with her full force. The post not only broke, it flew out of the ground in pieces! She moved on to the next one, doing the same. The last one she stopped and turned at. Leaning against it, she looked at me. I found myself flustered.

"I'm so sorry!" I gasped. "I didn't mean to spy on you, I just…" I swallowed. "You're so strong." Finally, some sense. I felt a blush spread across my cheeks.

"And you're so weak."

I almost fell over. So blunt! "I'm trying to get stronger, thank you very much!" I pouted.

"You're going up against Sabaku no Gaara, right? You're nowhere near strong enough to survive an attack from him. I saw what happened earlier. He could have ended you right there, but I think he just wants to play with you for a bit."

"Well, I train every day. I just need an amazing jutsu to throw everyone off."

Then the woman smirked. "I think I can help you with that." What is she talking about? "It takes a long time to master, though. Normally a year for a normal person, but you seem so talented and determined, you may actually be able to do this - plus little extra ninjutsu - in this 28 days. It's only noon now, why don't we go somewhere more private so I can show you." She glanced up at the trees behind me.

A cold feeling ran up my side and I ran toward her. Gaara jumped down from the trees to the spot I was standing at, his sand following me. I was halfway to her when it caught my right calf.

I felt myself fall down and being dragged. Before I reached him, though, a blur of blonde and green grabbed my arm and kicked the sand away. The woman glared at Gaara. Gaara glared right back. "What do you want with this girl?" asked my savior.

Gaara just looked at me, then said, "I don't know. There's just-" he grabbed the clothes over his heart "-something about her. Something that sparkles." He grabbed his head. "I'm going to kill you, Haruno Sakura. Count on that." And he was gone, carried away by his sand.

I panted heavily in the arms of the mysterious woman. I cried. I won't lie. Tears fell onto her arm, mostly from the shock of another attack, so soon. But my legs were also killing me. Blood ran down my right calf, but the bandages on the left were turning pink. The woman picked me up and carried me to the small creek that ran through the grounds. She removed my bandages and made me stand in the cold water. She washed the blood and leftover sand from my legs, then placed her hands on the cuts. A cool green chakra enveloped her hands, and a nice feeling spread up and down my hurt limbs. I sighed as the pain fell away.

"Can you teach me this?" I asked the woman.

"Sure, but do you want to focus on medical ninjutsu or something that would save your life in a fight first?"

"Um, the other thing first." She chuckled. "My name is Haruno Sakura, but you probably know that from _him_. What would you like me to call you?"

The woman thought for a moment. "Just call me 'Sensei'. You _are_ my student as of now, right?"

"Right." I smiled as Sensei finished healing my legs.

We stood outside of Konoha, Sensei and I. On our way out, I got a good look at her. She was very beautiful. Smooth skin, long blonde hair separated into two ponytails, she couldn't be more than 27 years old. Beautiful brown eyes, and a purple diamond on her forehead. When I asked her about it, she told me it was a way to store chakra, and that she would teach it to me one day. I got excited at that. Did that mean she was planning on teaching me _after_ the Chunin Exams, too?

Sensei took us to and orchard outside of Konoha, one full of cherry trees in full bloom. Cherry blossoms, my namesake. They lasted for such a short time.

Haruno Sakura. Spring field of Cherry Blossoms. Sabaku no Gaara. Gaara of the Desert.

Cherry blossoms don't live very long. And the desert seems endless. Will one lone, pathetic flower be able to survive the harsh, cruel desert?

"The first thing you need to do is quit thinking low about yourself." I gasped. It's as if she read my mind. "You _are _talented, Sakura-chan. Everyone around you can see it, why can't you?"

"I…" Really? Am I that talented? I swallowed hard. "I'm ready to be taught by you, Sensei!"

**R&R, please! ;)**

**KK OUT~!**


	3. Old Friends, New Friends

**Ah, Thank you for the great reviews~**

**Ador3, crazycherry459, LibertyForFreedom455, Freak-With-Issues, Bloody. 5507.**

**(That's right, review and get your name in the next chapter! *Evil laugh*)**

**I no own Naruto ;p**

"The first thing we need to do is figure out how well you can control the chakra around you." Sensei told me.

"Around me?" There's chakra around me?

"Yes. Most people don't know it, but chakra resides in everything. Even man-made, non-electronic things. You know the karakasa-obake legend?"

"The 'umbrella ghost'?" The legend that something is given life when it enters its 100th year of life. "What about it?"

"Well, it is actually the truth. The chakra in the object just builds up until the object gains a life of its own. It usually takes 100 years, but for certain things, the length of time varies. Most things don't last that long, so they never come to life, but sometimes, it does happen." Interesting. But I don't see how this helps. I told Sensei as much. She sighed. "It's to teach you that chakra resides in everything. The trees, the wind, the grass, animals, and people, even man-made non-electronic things. And, if you're trained well enough, you can actually take chakra from things. There are a few rules, though, but we'll get to those later. The first thing you need to do is try to feel the chakra around you. Watch."

Sensei closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She held a hand out and slowly released the breath she was holding. As she did, the trees moved, swaying back and forth in a sudden wind. A few leaves and petals fell free from the limbs hanging above us. I watched Sensei intently. Leaves rained down on her. One in particular floated right past her outstretched arm, missing by a few centimeters. I sensed something change. Just before the leaf hit the ground, something flicked it back into the air. It seemed to rise up to her and change directions, landing delicately in her palm.

"What- how did- did- what the hell did you just do?" I stammered.

Sensei smirked. "It's simple manipulation of natural chakra. Only the most advance can do this. And this is just the beginning level. Once you master this, you can do _much_ more powerful techniques. Like, as I said before, take chakra to use for yourself. But it usually takes a month or two to master this. Think you can learn the full technique in time to prove yourself?"

I take a deep breath, like she did, then let it out slowly. Then I put on a determined face and looked her in the eye. "I can do this." I told her, putting all my confidence behind my words, hopefully making them more powerful.

The rest of the day was spent trying teach me to sense and manipulate the chakra the wind carried with it. I was able to get a little breeze going. But as nighttime fell and the full moon rose, I had to get back home. Sensei and I agreed to meet tomorrow at ten o'clock, and then stay together for the rest of the month, in order for her to protect me from Gaara. Sasuke and Naruto may not have parents to worry about them, but I do. It must be simple to be able to do what you want, when you want. But I bet it's lonely. I take time to appreciate my parents properly.

But I'm also hungry, and I know I missed dinner. So after I check in with them, I go to Ichiraku's. I'm cautious the whole time, using my new, enhanced chakra-sensing abilities to keep a lookout around me. I notice one person following me, but it's not the same twisted chakra signature as Gaara. It's similar to him, though, maybe it's Kankuro.

I reach Ichiraku's and turn to my tail. "You can come out now." Hesitantly, she revealed herself. It was Temari, Gaara and Kankuro's sister.

"I didn't think you knew I was there." she told me.

"Where's Gaara-san?" I asked, looking around nervously.

"Kankuro's keeping him busy." was her response.

I sighed, believing her. Then I smiled. "Would you like some ramen? My treat." She looked hesitant still. "It's the best place in town." I say, trying to tempt her.

"Fine. I guess one bowl won't hurt."

I smiled. _Good, a little time to glean some information from her._ We walked inside and placed our orders. I wonder why she was following me. _She seems so different now, different from when she was with her brothers._

"So," I started while our food was being cooked, "tell me about Gaara-san. He's not normal, is he?"

I heard her take in a sharp breath. "How did you know?" She dropped her voice to a whisper, so I did the same.

"I can just tell. It's in his eyes. There's something else in him, something that's not quite human. Am I right?"

She sighed. "Yes. He has the One-Tailed demon, Shukaku, sealed inside him. You can never tell anyone, ok?" I nod. "Our mother died giving birth to him, and our father blamed him. Kankuro and I tried to be there for him, but both he and our father pushed us away. Gaara only allowed one person near him, our uncle Yashamaru. But Yashamaru also blamed Gaara for his sister's death, and one night tried to kill him. He killed himself instead. That was just one of many assassination attempts. Our father tried again and again, hiring mercenaries left and right, pretending to be a good father by spoiling him. So now he's conceited, vain, and arrogant, as well as spoiled. Which is why he attacked you earlier. He thinks he can get whatever he wants, and I apologize for him." The food is placed in front of us as she finishes.

"Wow. Was he ostracized by the village?" I questioned, thinking of Naruto.

"Yes," Temari answered, "and normally, I wouldn't talk about the affairs of my village, but since he's taken a liking to you, you might as well know." The spunk she displayed when I first met her was back. Good. She and I took a bite of our ramen at the same time. "Mm, this is pretty good," she says, then orders another bowl. "So," she said slyly, "you're on the same team as Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Yes. Isn't he amazing?" I replied with a sigh.

"Pretty hot," she said. We engage in a little girl talk over a few more bowls of ramen. Eventually, we end up laughing at each other's funny stories. Ayame and Teuchi have to run us off, it gets so late. "It's a full moon tonight," she muttered when we left.

"Huh? Why doe that matter?"

"Remember when I told you about Shukaku? Well, he's nocturnal," she continued without waiting for an answer, "and he gets more powerful on full moons. Also, Gaara can never sleep or Shukaku will run wild.

"So he hasn't slept ever?"

"No, not unless he wants to destroy something _really _badly. Allow me to walk you home, Sakura-chan."

"Thank you, Temari-chan!" One night of ramen, and we're the best of friends. Of course, we've already decided to keep it a secret. Somehow, I doubt our teams and friends wouldn't take a liking to that.

We walked to my house, chatting the whole way.

"So, Temari-chan, are you going to train any?" I asked.

"Yes, of course. Are there any rules about special jutsus?"

"I don't know."

"Well, you're going up against my brother. He's really powerful, but you already know that. Are you going to train?"

"Of course!" I thought of Sensei. "I've already found someone to train me, she's going to teach me an amazing new jutsu. It takes a couple years to master, though, so I'm having to cram it into one month, but I've already made progress in half a day." I quit thinking about that. "And you're going up against Shikamaru-kun."

"Yeah, I saw that he uses shadows to attack. What else can you tell me about him?"

"Well, not much. He's the teammate of my best friend Ino-chan. He's also pretty lazy. He likes to spend his time watching clouds with Chouji. He's really smart though, but he doesn't look it."

"And Ino-chan, she's the girl you fought in the prelims, right? You guys seemed to hate each other's guts."

"Well, we were fighting over Sasuke. I stupidly ended our friendship over him." She looked at me like she didn't believe me. "Ok, ok, it was _kind of_ about Sasuke. Back then, I always stood in her shadow. I was afraid he wouldn't notice me, so I told her I didn't want to be friends anymore. But I think I got rid of all my insecurities when we fought, so we're back to being friends. Honestly, I missed hanging out with her. She's the only true friend I made when I was young, I was so shy and insecure back then. I haven't really made any since. Well, except for you, of course."

"What were you so insecure about?"

"My forehead. It's so big, the others made fun of it. Ino-chan gave me the first ribbon I used to tie my hair up with."

"Oh, you mean this thing?" She placed a hand on my forehead. "You're right, it's so big, I wonder how I didn't see it before." She smiled when I said 'Hey!', then wrapped an arm playfully around my neck and rubbed her knuckles in my hair. We both laughed when she let me go.

"I gotta say, I haven't had this much fun in ages! Thank you, Temari-chan!"

We finally reached my house. "Hey, are you sure your sensei can keep you safe?" she asked me, serious once again.

"I'm sure, Temari-chan. You should have seen her earlier today. She's amazing! She destroyed two of the wooden posts with one hit apiece!"

"Well, if you're sure. But train hard, Sakura-chan. He grows stronger and is more unstable on full moons. There will be one the night of the finals. I know you can at least survive this fight, if not win it. Kankuro agrees, and says 'Hi,' by the way."

"Right," I promise, "and tell him I said 'hi' back." We go our separate ways.

"And where have you been, Sakura?" asked my mom when I enter the house.

"I told you," I replied, "I hadn't had anything to eat, so I went to Ichiraku's. I met a friend there, and lost track of time. Simple as that." She seemed satisfied with my answer, so I continued to my room, packed a duffel bag with four extra outfits, took a shower, and slept after crawling into my PJs.

My dreams were filled with running. I was running from something, something was running after me. Something dangerous. Or was it someone? Must have been Gaara. Who - or what - else would it be?

When I woke up, it was already 9:50. "Oh my God!" I got ready in a hurry, then ran downstairs gripping my pre-prepared bag. "Bye! Love you!" I kissed my parents goodbye, explaining my training situation to them - minus the attacks from Gaara. "I won't be back until the finals at the Chunin Exams!" I grabbed a couple pieces of toast and ran for the gates of Konoha with them hanging out of my mouth. I ran past an alley that I heard voices coming from. One distinct one, Ino's, said my name. I stopped.

I hid my chakra and eavesdropped, peeking around the wall to see Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata, and Shino. Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei were also there. The students seemed to be pleading with their teachers.

"Surely there's something you can do!" Ino yelled, "Sakura stands no chance against that freak!"

"How would you know that?" asked Kurenai-sensei. "Maybe she's trying to get stronger. Notice how you six have brought us here? If she truly doubted herself, she would have gone to her sensei or come to us herself."

"Now now, Kurenai. Maybe it isn't bad that they brought us together." Asuma injected. Does that mean they're dating?

Kurenai sighed, ignoring his taunt. "Listen, kids. I'm sure Sakura…" By this point I was slumped against the wall, breakfast forgotten in the dust. I couldn't take any more. So I revealed myself. Kurenai stopped what she was saying.

"Sa-Sakura-chan?" Ino exclaimed. I could feel tears down my face. I cry too damn much for a ninja, dammit!

"So, I stand no chance against Gaara-san, huh? And don't call him a freak! What's wrong with him? It not his fau-" I cut myself off, almost forgetting the no-telling promise I made with Temari. I gulped. "Just because he's different doesn't mean he's weird!" Why was I defending him so much? Because of his sister, that's why. "And yes, he is strong. But so are his siblings! That doesn't mean you don't stand a chance against Kankuro-kun, does it, Shino? And what about _you_, Shikamaru? Are you going to forfeit your match with Temari-chan?" I left the honorifics off my friends' names, but added them to the strangers'. I didn't mean to.

"Gaara-_san_? Kankuro-_kun_? Temari-_chan_? When did _they_ become your friends?" asked an enraged Kiba.

"When _they_ had faith in me, unlike my _real _friends," I was almost to the point of yelling. "I _can_ take care of myself, believe it or not!"

"Sakura-chan, you don't plan on leaving, do you?" asked Shikamaru, eyeing my duffel bag.

"Yes. I do. For the rest of the month. You guys made me late to meet my mentor." I glared at them, but all I saw was shock on their faces. A chill ran up my spine as I felt a twisted chakra behind me. I could feel Temari-chan's and Kankuro-kun's soothing chakra behind that. I whirled to face the sand team and gulped. Gaara was standing right behind me.

"Sakura-chan…" Temari moved forward and put a hand on my shoulder, glaring at the people behind me. I sniffed, then glared over my shoulder as well, at my 'friends' the people that I grew up with, the people I graduated from the ninja academy with, the people who had no faith in me. Temari pulled me away, and I let her. We - the sand team and I - walked down the street, earning stares from the citizens of Konoha. Gaara was in front, followed by me. Kankuro and Temari walked side by side behind me. I blushed, kind of embarrassed, and wiped the tears from my face.

_I'm being rescued _again_! _I thought. By the time my eyes dried, we were at the gates. Gaara stopped, and so did the rest of us. He then turned to me.

"I-I have to go now. I guess I'll see you later?"

He nodded, then moved aside. I walked past him, nodded to the people who watch the gates, and jumped into the trees to find the spot where my mentor and I met yesterday. She was there, as well as another woman with short black hair. She wore a black kimono-type garment and held a pig. Sensei frowned when she saw me.

"Welcome, Sakura-chan. You're twenty minutes late. Would you care to join us today?"

I bowed to the intimidating woman. "I'm sorry, Sensei. I woke up late and ran into a problem on the way here."

"It wasn't Gaara, was it? It looks like you've been crying." I guess my eyes are still red and puffy.

"No, it wasn't him. It was…" I felt fresh tears rise and tried to blink them away. Do my friends really think that little of me? Sensei's eyes soften, and I tell her everything, proud of myself for not crying again.

"What do they know? We'll teach you that new technique in no time!"

"Master Tsu-," the other girl hesitated and cleared her throat. "Master, I've only recently learned that, after training for years! What makes you think she'll be able to do it - in a month no less?"

"You didn't see her yesterday, Shizune. There was a fire in her eyes that I haven't seen in a long time, even more ferocious than yours. She _can_ do this. Speaking of you, Sakura-chan, this is Shizune, your senpai. And this-" she gestured to the pig, "-is Ton-Ton."

I bowed to them. "It's nice to meet you, Shizune-senpai. And you too, Ton-Ton." I gave him a pat on the head.

"Ok, Sakura-chan, that's enough." I dropped my bag and stood at attention. "You remember me catching the leaf yesterday?" I nodded. "You are to do the same. Take note: I moved the wind several times to get the leaf in my hand. I want to watch you do the same. You got a slight breeze going yesterday, but you can't advance until you learn to manipulate it at a higher level. But once you figure it out, you can do just about anything."

"She actually moved it?" asked Shizune. Sensei nodded, then motioned for quiet.

I sighed, closed my eyes, and concentrated. There was a little bit of a breeze, stronger than the one I made yesterday. That one was barely moving. I felt it sway my hair and dress. I held out both of my hands and felt it slip through my fingers. The chakra in it tickled my senses. I imagined gripping it with chakra-infused fingers, smiling when a little bit of wind swirled around them. I tried to wrap my fingers around the wind, but failed. It flew in several directions away from me, as if it were running away.

"Wrong!" my mentor exclaimed. I jumped at hearing her so close; opening my eyes, I saw that she was right in front of me. "You are trying to take control of it. You must work _with_ it. Watch, once again."

She stepped away and held out a hand. This time, she kept her eyes open and performed the same remarkable feat without any preparation. I kept my senses tuned to hers, watching her every move. She made none, but still the leaf landed in her palm. I didn't see how she did it; I don't have Byakugan or Sharingan. But I _felt_ two chakras - hers, a wild strong one; and the other was calm and gentle. The wind's, maybe?

She looked at me. I tried again, closing my eyes. Still, there was no change. Sensei sighed.

"I'll show you _one last time. _Try taking your shoes off and closing your eyes."

"Closing my eyes? How will that help?" She glared at me. "Ok, ok!" I did as she said, throwing my shoes to my bag. Rocks dug painfully into the bottoms of my feet. I ignored it, looking pleadingly at Sensei.

"Close. Your. Eyes," she told me menacingly, "and see with your senses. Tell me when you're ready."

I closed my eyes. It felt odd, standing there barefoot. I couldn't concentrate. I could feel Sensei growing impatient. Instead of failing to pay attention, I let my instincts take over.

As I fell into a meditative state brought on by this, I started seeing things in my mind. I gasped. Energy seemed to collect around my feet, sending me visions through them. There were so many colors! The grass between my toes a vibrant green and the edges seemed to blur. In fact, _nothing _seemed solid, everything flowed together with the blurs. The stagnant air, the air not alive with wind, was blacker than the darkest night I'd ever seen. It only enhanced the colors of everything else. The rocks beneath my feet were lemony yellow. The trees were shining green, pearlier than the neon grass. Just outside our meadow, a stream ran cerulean blue, fish in it little slashes or white. Different clouds were different colors, depending on the type. The fluffy white ones were pearl-white, while the rain clouds I felt to the west were gloomy gray, lighter and shinier than the unmoving air. The wind would blow those in soon.

The wind itself was silver. It danced and twirled, twisting around three other colors - a more mellow mint green, a calming sky blue, and a vibrant fiery purple. I traced these colors, behind closed eyelids, trying to find the source. My sensei stood there, supplying them. Her body was imbued with these three colors. They ran through her hair, through her bloodstream, on top of her skin, a huge amount of them hiding in the diamond on her forehead. She smiled.

"See it now?" Even her words seemed to hold the vibrant colors, a rainbow rather than one color. I nodded slowly, scared of breaking the illusion. One thing did intrigue me, though.

"Is this how the Hyugas see? Is this their Byakugan?" I asked.

Sensei shook her head. "No, they see the chakra points in the _human _body. What you are seeing now is the chakra that _everything_ holds, from the grass to the rocks to the animals."

The animals! I didn't even notice them. I looked around, using only my senses. Specks of the same vibrant purple dotted the ground, hiding in the grass. They must have been bugs. In the trees, I saw nests of birds. Underneath the ground, moles and worms dug around in the dirt. All of them the same vibrant purple as what was mixed into Sensei's chakra.

"Amazing!" I couldn't get enough of it!

"Chakra-vision? Master, can she really- I mean- she's so young! It's only her second day of training! I only saw that after six months!" Shizune struggled over what to say. I slid my sight to her. Her chakra was again sky blue and mint green, but that was it. No other color.

"Sensei, why doesn't Shizune-senpai have three colors, like you? Hers are only blue and green, you have that _plus _purple."

"She can even see _that? _It took me a year after seeing the first time to see that!"

With pride in her voice, Sensei replied, "I told you: she has a fire in her eyes like no one I've ever seen before." I smiled. "Sakura-chan!" I jumped. "Watch, one last time, as I catch the leaf!" I nodded. She took up her stance - legs apart, arm outstretched - once again. This time, I saw everything happen.

Most of the free-flowing purple chakra left her body through her feet, slithering across the ground in snake-like tendrils. All of them convened at one tree, merging gently with the tree's chakra. It moved the branches, and then the purple chakra jumped into the silver wind, combining smoothly to become a shiny purple. I compared that to the plain breeze around it. It became more aggressive, rustling the trees and dislodging a few leaves and petals. Then the purple wind chased after a leaf, trying to separate it from the natural wind. It finally captured its prize and transformed, turning into a miniature whirlwind. From there, it coaxed the leaf into Sensei's hand. I opened my eyes to find an after-image of the chakra-vision.

"That was _amazing!_ Chakra-vision, is that what it's called? So many colors! So beautiful!" I gushed on and on about it.

"Sakura-chan," Sensei snapped her fingers at me, and I gave her my awareness. "I'm amazed at your progress. As Shizune said, it took her six months, and she's one of my better students. But here you are, seeing chakra with two day's worth of training. But now it's time to sleep."

"What? What do you mean?" I got a good look around, noticing the sun's setting orange rays. "Have we been out here that long?" Instead of Sensei, my answer came from my grumbling stomach. "I haven't had anything to eat all day," I explained with a blush. Shizune seemed prepared for this. She handed me a few rice balls, which I tried to eat slowly, but found myself guzzling it down instead. Shizune brought me more food - some instant ramen, more rice balls, and even some anko dumplings - all of which disappeared within minutes.

"Chakra-vision can be used without meditation, but you have to learn to use it so that it doesn't wear you down, like now." Sensei lectured as Shizune brought me more food.

When I got done with that, I was finally satisfied. But extremely tired. She was right. Time for bed. 'Bed' was nothing but a mat and a sleeping bag in a little, worn-down shack. Sensei and Shizune led me there after I gathered my things. I fell onto the mat, not even bothering to change or cover up. As I drifted into unconsciousness, I could hear the two women talk about me in the other room. I could only barely tell the two apart, though.

"She had great promise, Shizune. Have some faith in her." _Sensei_.

"But I was reviewing the finalists' profiles. Have you seen his? Just compare theirs!" _Shizune-senpai._

"I've seen them. He is powerful, she is weak. But part of the reason why she isn't as strong as the others is because no one took the time to train her properly, and she doesn't come from a ninja clan, just normal citizens. She also knew everyone's expectations of her - very low - and just fell unknowingly into the role of unconfident and weak. _I _will take on the task of teaching her and changing her into a powerful kunoichi, someone who stands a chance against the world. _I _will build her confidence. _I _will believe in her if no one else will." _Sensei_.

"If you say so." _Shizune-senpai._

Then they started talking about dresses or something. But by then I was already out.


	4. Sprites and Spooks

**Sorry, it's been longer than usual, hasn't it? And there's romance this chapter! In Gaara's POV, that soon! (You kind of have to squint there, though)**

**Reviews feed me. You have satisfied my hunger,**

**Freak-With-Issues, Ador3, Kaelin The Black Swan, LibertyForFreedom455, Mysterious Lilac, sakarami, shadow miko, romyblossom, MidnightWhisper15**

**Also, a question or two will be answered in this chapter ;)**

****Gaara****

I was trembling the whole time.

When we walked her through town. I trembled being so close to her. She never even knew. Never saw me digging my fingernails into my arm. I could feel her behind me. I could smell her - strawberry shampoo. I heard her sniff as she dried her tears. I saw her hair - still shining from within - as she walked away. Hell, I could even taste her blood from yesterday, even though Kankuro took me to this really expensive restaurant to take my mind off her. It didn't work. I was upset she escaped me, and I couldn't find her again. Temari didn't go with us, but when she walked into our room at the hotel hours after us, strawberries lingered in the air around her, and Temari doesn't wear anything like that. So I knew it was _hers._

Sakura's.

It was faint, but it was there. I felt betrayed. But then Temari told me about her mentor, about how she decided to train outside of Konoha for the rest of the month like her teammates. She didn't know where, exactly, though. But at least now I knew where to start. I wanted to go to her house right then, but Temari wouldn't take me. I considered forcing her to take me, but tossed the thought aside. With a full moon, I might end up killing her by accident.

Instead, I happen to find her crying on the street the next day. Temari and Kankuro were with me. And despite my fascination with her, it took Temari's gasp and Kankuro muttering her name for me to notice. I watched her. The tears seemed to dull whatever made her shine. I hated that. I heard what they were saying about her - and then said _to _her, about me. It angered me. I smiled when she turned on them and defended us. That seemed to make her shine even more than before. I walked over to stand behind her and glared at her friends. Temari and Kankuro followed me. I loved the expression on the faces of the leaf genin. When Sakura turned around, Temari practically shoved me out of the way to comfort her. Without another word, I walked away, expecting her to follow. And she did, whether Temari pulled her away or not.

That's when the trembling began. I was only able to be so close to her without attacking because the moon is waning. Last night was the last full moon until the finals, and since it's getting smaller, Shukaku has already lost a lot of power over me. But I can still feel him there, wanting to rip her apart. For me, it's different. I don't want her _dead,_ exactly, and that's a first for me. I don't want to hurt her badly either. Shukaku had control when I tasted her blood for the first time, not me. I'm pretty sure that once she's dead, the shining thing will go away. For some reason, I don't want it gone. It's beautiful, but I don't know what it is. It's spread from her hair to encompass all of her, and she just… _shines,_ no matter what. Except for when she was crying. I didn't follow her out of the village then, but later I went to look for her. It took me a day to find them. They were hiding in a cherry tree orchard. And I watched her train. I'm thinking of approaching her soon.

I went to see the Uchiha where he trained before that. His sensei is sharp. Even though I hid my chakra, he was able to sense it, and called me out. When I revealed myself, the boy looked pissed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Tell me about her." was my reply.

"No." I had half a mind to kill him right there, but decided to play with him a little.

"No matter," I said, "I'll just kill her anyway. Slowly and painfully. And I'll make sure you're watching." He tried to attack me, but his sensei stopped him.

"I think it's time for you to leave." he told me. I just smiled at them and did.

It's a good thing there's a full moon the night of the finals. Otherwise, I don't think I'll be able to do it. And I don't like making empty threats.

****Sakura****

_Look underneath the underneath. _I remember Kakashi teaching us that the first time we trained with him. And I do. Look underneath the underneath. I'm good at it, too. I look at people and can separate them into layers. Sensei and I sat on the porch of our shack and talked about this before starting my third day of training.

Sensei. There's something under her tough exterior, I know that from the soft looks she's given me when I feel like crying or do something right. But underneath that caring, proud layer is another one - one with insuppressible sadness. I don't know what made her that way, but I want to fix it. So, top layer - hard-ass that barely gives me room to breathe. Underneath - a proud teacher whose student surpasses her expectations. But underneath the underneath - a sad, lonely person that sometimes drifts off into long-ago memories. She seemed surprised that I knew this, and her mind left for a moment, returning to those times for a few seconds.

I separated Gaara into layers, too. It was easy after my talk with Temari. On top - a cold, unforgiving boy whose desire is to kill those around him. Underneath - a demon that fuels these desires and provides the power for them. Underneath the underneath - a little boy whose childhood was taken away by assassins and those who outcast him. Simple. But I didn't tell Sensei that. I promised Temari I wouldn't tell anyone about Shukaku.

It's harder with me. It used to be a weak ninja on top, then a girl who cared for her looks to impress a guy. Nothing third.

Now that I've stopped giving a damn about how I look, it's even harder. Just a weak ninja. Nothing else. Maybe it'll come to me later. I do know one thing, however. My intentions. What I told Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke. That I need to prove myself to the village, on top. Underneath that, the need to help Gaara realize someone loves him. I blushed. "L-like his family!" I said when Sensei looked at me funny. "His brother and sister love him very much, he just can't see it!" After she and Shizune got over how amusing my slip-up was, I was able to continue. On top - prove myself. Under that - prove to Gaara that people care for him. Underneath the underneath - both. I want to help him _and_ show up the village.

Sensei smiled. "That's an amazing ability, Sakura-chan. Use it, develop it. It will be useful." She stood and helped me up. "Let's get to training, so that you _can_ show up the village. But first…" I have a bad feeling. "Shizune!"

She ran inside, then back out with a bundle of cloth in her arms. I eyed it suspiciously.

"What is that?" I asked cautiously.

"Your new clothes."

"New clothes? I don't need-" I was interrupted by the clothes being thrown in my face.

"Go. Put them on." Sensei pushed me inside and to the bathroom. I have no choice.

There were threes pieces to the outfit: a pair of dark blue shorts like my own but shorter, a fitted fishnet t-shirt, and a dress that went over them. I pulled the first two garments on, tucking the shirt into the shorts. I examined the slightly skimpy dress before slipping into it.

It looked nothing like my normal attire other than the fact that it was red and had the Haruno family crest on one sleeve. That sleeve went off my shoulder, and was wide but not long. The other sleeve wrapped around my back and over my shoulder, buckling to the front with a ring. The bottom part of the top ended below my small breasts in a point and exposed my midriff. Four straps - two in front and two in back - came from the top and ended at the skirt, which was about six inches wide. It also wrapped all the way around my legs. The fabric was soft and kind of tight, but when I moved it seemed to loosen up. It also felt familiar. I thought that the skirt around my legs would hinder my movements, including my reach of the weapons on my leg pouch, but it stretched as well. I went back outside blushing.

"S-Sensei, are you sure this is ok? This dress is so revealing, I'm kind of embarrassed by it."

"Nonsense, Sakura-chan! That dress is vital for your training." She seemed so confident. I wish I could be like that.

"How so?" I asked.

"Confidence!" It was like she read my mind! "I know you have very little. Sometimes all a girl needs is a change of clothes to boost her spirits. Don't you agree?"

"I-I guess."

"Besides, if you wear that, you'll be able to see your progress."

"What?"

"_Muscles_. You don't have any, but my training _will_ give you some, I promise." It sounded more like a threat to my ears, but I trust her. "Sakura-chan! We will have a set training regime. We will wake up at six and take half an hour to eat breakfast. After that, I'll train you with your Chakra-Vision until eleven-thirty. At eleven-thirty, we take an hour for lunch and rest. At twelve-thirty, we train in various other techniques. We eat supper at six and that ends our day. But before we can set this in action, however, you must catch the leaf."

I nodded. "Let's get to work."

We went out to our training grove. I took off my shoes. Sensei looked at me weirdly.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Taking my shoes off. It helped yesterday." I defended myself. I threw them under a tree, ignoring the rocks my feet settled on. "I'm ready." Sensei nodded.

I closed my eyes and stood there, falling back into the trance-like state from yesterday. I kept a mental image of the scene before me - plain, without the same vibrant lights as yesterday - and watched as the air darkened. My feet fed my mind the same information as before. The first thing that brightened was the grass, growing to a blindingly neon green. That effervescent shade shot down into the ground, making the rocks light up in lemony-yellow. At the same time, the trees gained their pearly green shine from the bottom up. I hadn't noticed this yesterday, but the leaves were the same as the grass. The cherry blossoms were vibrant pink.

A silvery wind blew through the grove, helping to blur the colors together. It came to me as if it noticed my heightened senses and danced around me once before leaving. I giggled as the hair near my ear tickled my face. I calmed down to concentrate on trying to control my chakra. I wonder what mine looks like. I looked down at my arms and hands. They held the same blue as Shizune's and Sensei's, but nothing else. My face fell.

"Don't let it bother you." Sensei chimed in. "Just look." She pointed at my feet.

There, swimming around my ankles, was a little bit of purple chakra. I smiled again, then focused on gathering my chakra into my feet and sending it out around me. It wouldn't leave my body, though. It went into the ground, but just straight down. Like I'm trying to walk on water or up a tree, sticking my feet to the ground. I stopped the flow of chakra, then tried again. I could feel Sensei's eyes on me. The same thing happened, so I did it again. Again and again, I had the same result. I thought hard about yesterday. What was different? Sensei sent her purple chakra into the ground-

_That's it!_ I've been sending my _normal _chakra into the ground, when I _should _have been using the small purple tendril. I summoned it to my hands and watched through closed lids as it twirled around them. I then sent it into my bare feet, where it entered the ground and started going crazy. I tried to direct it, but it was wild. I finally got it back to me, but then I slumped to the ground exhausted. After panting a few times, I stood once again. This time, when I sent it out, it wasn't as wild, but still hard to control. I brought it back to me. I did this exercise again, and I kept doing it until I had full reign over the mischievous chakra. That almost wore me out, but I held on. I'm not giving up until I succeed! I had to get up off the ground first, though. I struggled to stand, just like the day of the preliminary rounds of the Chunin Exams. I panted, trying to gather my legs underneath me, but they gave out when I finally stood, sending me tumbling to the ground again. I opened one eye, only half ruining the myriad of colors. My shaking hands pushed against the ground. Sweat dripped off me in waves, and my stomach growled like crazy.

Sensei sighed. "It's ok, Sakura-chan. Go get some food, Shizune." Shizune left, grumbling about my progress.

"Sensei, why do you call Shizune 'Shizune'? Why not add 'chan' to her name, like with me? Isn't she your student, too?"

"Shizune… she is someone special to me. She can take care of herself. She has maturity and power, two things you lack. I'll call you 'Sakura' when you are special to me, or when you have those traits too. Until then, you're just a child, and I shall call you as such."

Shizune returned then, so I dropped the subject to eat. Using Chakra-Vision not only exhausts me, it makes me ravenously hungry. I wolfed down all the food I was brought in about a minute, then asked for more.

"There's only a little more, Sakura-chan. I guess you can have the rest while Shizune and I go into town to get enough for the rest of the month - even with your increased appetite." She handed me what was left - a bowl of rice and a few pieces of cake - then left with Shizune. I ate them, and they finally satisfied my hunger.

"I'm going to get fat if I keep eating like this!" I told myself, then settled down in the shade of a cherry tree. I leaned against the rough bark and closed my eyes, intending to sleep this time. As I drifted, a peculiar scent wafted in the air around me. Kind of musty, but spicy and exotic, too. I fell asleep comforted by this scent.

I had a dream about being trapped on a tiny island with Gaara. I was leaning against a tree that he was sleeping in. A small shower started, then turned into heavy rain. Before it soaked me too much, Gaara's sand formed an umbrella, and he jumped down to sit beside me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and I cuddled into him. The same musty exotic smell invaded my senses as I looked into his softly smiling face and gentle eyes. This _had_ to be sometime in the future, because all the hate had left them. We snuggled closer together, and he kissed my forehead. The pleasant dream ended then, due to Sensei's complaints about the rain.

"Hn? Rain? What rain?" I asked, then I noticed it - or what it left behind. Sensei and Shizune, as well as the cartful of grocery bags behind them, were drenched in water. There were no more clouds, but puddles dotted the ground. The air had grown chilly, and I shivered in the sudden cold and a strange absence of warmth.

"Girl, have you no sense to go in when it rains like that?" Sensei asked me.

"But I-" I looked around me. There was a patch of dry land surrounding the spot where I slept. "Whoa. I'm not even damp!" I told myself, getting up to help Sensei and Shizune with the groceries. I grabbed a few bags, then hopped into the trees after Sensei and Shizune. The bark hurt my sensitive feet, but I'm going to harden the soles by the time the finals roll around. Before it got too out of sight, I looked back at the tree and saw someone standing there. I don't know who, I just know that the outline looked like a boy. I brought my eyes forward and followed the two women to the cabin, forgetting the boy for now. Right before we reached the hut, it started pouring again. In that minute or so it took top get inside, I looked like I had just gotten out of a river. The air matched the gloomy mood by darkening and growing cold.

"I guess we should start a fire," Sensei said, getting towels and handing me one. When we were adequately dried, she moved to a door I hadn't seen before. "The basement," she explained when she noticed my confused look, "it has dry firewood and kindling in it. Come help me with it."

I joined her at the door, then followed her down into the darkness. She pulled on a string halfway down the stairs, and the light flickered. It kept flickering as I followed Sensei to one wall. There was a door near where I stood. Sensei told me to hold my arms out while she .piled pieces of wood in them. She added more and more pieces, so many that I almost couldn't stand from the weight of it.

"Please, I think that's enough!" I exclaimed as she added two more chunks, the pile rising over my head.

"You're right," she examined the mound, then added a few more large hunks. I groaned. "Consider this training," she scolded me, "unless you want to go do push-ups in the rain."

"Sorry." She sent me back up the steps while making sure I didn't fall. I made it, only losing balance a couple of times. The only reason I didn't plunge to my death was Sensei supporting me when I started to lean too far back. Finally we got safely up the staircase. I dumped the heap of wood near the fireplace, and got a good look at it. "That has got to be half my weight! What were you thinking, Sensei?"

"That it was _more _than your weight, not half." She put some balled-up paper in the fireplace, then laid some kindling on it, finishing with a few pieces of wood. She lit a match and held it to the paper. It caught, and soon we had a warm toasty fire we all sat around wearing new, dry clothes. I discovered _my_ clothes - the ones I brought here - mutilated to make the new outfit I wore. I raised a little hell about it, then settled at the end of the fireplace furthest away from them - closest to the window. I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, listening to the crackle of the fire and the pounding of the rain.

"I hope it doesn't storm." I said suddenly.

"It won't," Sensei assured me, "remember those clouds we saw to the west?" I nodded. "They'll bring storms, but it'll be a couple more days before they arrive."

I nodded, glancing out the window. The rain pattered against it, beading in some places and running down the glass. It wasn't that dark, just kind of dim from the clouds overhead. Absently I wondered if Shikamaru would be out watching these. Probably, if he were watching before it rained. He'd probably be too lazy to get up and find shelter. Would he really be ok going up against Temari? He'll probably just give up.

"Sakura-chan, Master wants you in the basement." Shizune invaded my thoughts and pulled me back to Earth.

"What for? What time is it?"

"When she and I went to town, it was around eleven. It was two o'clock when we returned. And it's…" she checked her watch, and I saw hidden weapons on her wrist. "It's three now. Go on, she doesn't like to be kept waiting." She ushered me to the door of the basement and opened it for me. The weak light was already on, lighting up and then darkening without pattern as I descended the steps. Sensei stood in front of the other door, the one I noticed earlier.

"Yes, Sensei?" I asked, unnerved by something other than the unsteady light, "you wanted me?"

"Yes. Since it's raining outside, we can't train out there unless we want to catch a cold, right?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Where was she going with this? She opened the door and beckoned me through it. I entered and gasped. "What _is _this?" In front of me was a _huge_ tiled room. The tiles covered everything - floor, ceiling, walls. There were drains in the floor and several suspicious rust-colored stains on the walls. A few stainless steel tables stood near the edges of the room. A bad feeling, like a negative energy, radiated from it. It made my stomach turn over.

Sensei's solemn voice answered. "This place belonged to an old friend. One I'd like to forget." I turned to face her. She had tears in her eyes!

"Sensei?"

She shook herself off. "This room kind of gives you chills, huh? Well, that'll keep you on your toes, right, Sakura-chan? This will be our training room when it rains. This rain should be gone by tomorrow. We will spend the rest of today training in here. I told you about our schedule, but we can't stick to it for now. From when it stops raining, until the storm comes, we will train your Chakra-Vision heavily. When the storm rolls around, we will come in and practice the other jutsus I want to teach you in this room until it leaves. We'll train your Chakra-Vision a little in here, even though it's best we don't. Uh- do much, I mean."

A little slip-up? What does she mean by 'even though it's best we don't'? She told me exercises to do to work on my strength. After hours of that, she finally ok-ed me to end the day. I left the creepy room and shot up the basement stairs, trying to get as far away from the room as possible as _fast _as possible despite my weariness from the workout. Sensei stayed behind, probably to reminisce. Something good was cooking in the kitchen. I went and found Shizune at the stove, finishing lasagna.

"Ah, hello, Sakura-chan! Come, help yourself." I grabbed a plate and dug into the gooey cheese and noodles. It was really good. I told Shizune, and she seemed to like that.

When I finished eating, I went to my room and lied down on my mat. I crawled into the sleeping bag. Even though the rain had stopped, the air still held a chill. I was exhausted, and soon fell into a deep sleep. I woke up well not very well-rested due to the fact I was sleeping on a mat on the floor, but I was ready to go after a quick breakfast of cereal. We went to our training grounds. My feet are starting to bleed from lack of shoes, but I decided to let them heal naturally, choosing to bandage them instead of accepting Sensei's and Shizune's offers to heal them. Just building up a tolerance to pain. I'm sure I'll need it in the future, since I plan on actually being _useful_.

"The whole day today will be spent learning to use your Charka-Vision, as well as tomorrow and the day after. You still need to catch a leaf, though. You've been working at it for three days now."

"I'm making really good progress, though. Don't you think so?"

Sensei nodded. "There's no denying that, and I am amazed, Sakura-chan. But you still have a long way to go." She sent me a meaningful look, and I activated the new power I'd gained. It still took a bit of meditating to set it off, but it took less time with each trial. As the colors started to swim around, I found that the amount of purple chakra circling my system had increased.

I took some of it and sent it through my bare feet, proud to find the chakra mostly obeying my commands. I sent it scattering through the chakra-less ground, where it separated itself into equal portions. I directed each to a specific tree, the one I had slept under yesterday. It stood behind me, but with my chakra vision I could see it, even if it was the middle of the pitch black night. Although I tamed it for the most part, that little bit of chakra still had a mind of its own.

"Try using your hands and arms," Sensei advised. "That helps when you first learn to control the chakra you send out."

Ok. I raised my arms and the purple chakra seemed to react to it. I waved them around, and it followed. I turned toward my target. I swept one arm up, the chakra following. It almost zoomed by the tree, but stopped when I clenched my fist. By this point, my body was moving on its own, driven by instinct. My other arm twisted palm-up, and the chakra swirled around the tree. Tentatively, I moved one segment a little closer, tapping the trunk to test the tree's resistance. Unsurprisingly, it offered a great amount. The chakra hovered around it, touching here and there. I made another strand touch the trunk longer, trying to connect the two chakras. This time, I felt something move. As if there was a presence inside the tree. I focused my energy on that phantom spirit, trying to picture it. In my mind, a beautiful woman, wearing a brown kimono maybe in her forties, was petting something. I tried to see what, but couldn't. The woman took notice of me, and walked to me with all the grace of a queen. She put a hand on my shoulder, looking into my emerald orbs. As I stared deeply into her pink ones, I saw an ancient beauty. Her face wrinkled in a smile, and her long green hair blew in an unfelt wind. My eyes widened as she disappeared in a swirl of leaves and petals.

I understood after a moment of thought. She was the spirit of the tree. The ancient cherry tree that stood before me. I gasped and opened my eyes, ruining the beauty of my Chakra-Vision.

"That woman- she was- I mean- the-the tree!"

Sensei seemed to get what I was saying through my psychobabble. She nodded. "That is amazing, Sakura-chan. What did she do when she saw you?"

"Well, she came to me, and touched me right here," I gestured to my shoulder, still feeling the warmth of her hand, "then looked into my eyes and smiled. After that, she disappeared. Um, can I get something to eat?"

Sensei laughed. "Of course. It's about time for lunch, anyway." We walked back to the cabin and had sandwiches. I took a quick nap, then it was back to training. I wasn't eating as much - although it was still a lot - and I slept for shorter amounts of time. My body must be getting used to the energy it takes to handle the Chakra-Vision! But I still have to catch a leaf.

Completely refreshed, Sensei and I returned to the tree. This time when I sent my purple chakra out, the tree accepted it without a pause. I thanked the spirit of the tree and together, we rustled the limbs of it. The wind picked up, and I saw another woman, more carefree and bathed in a silvery light. She was completely nude, but didn't seem to mind. She too, came close and inspected me, whirling around me, making a vortex that picked me up when she grabbed my arms to dance around with me. She and I laughed together, and she set me down. She sped over to the tree and turned back into the swirling silver lines of wind. It danced around my chakra before picking it up and surrendering its power to me. I made the silver purple spin around the tree, asking permission to take a few leaves. Her face appeared in the bark, nodding approval. I moved the wind back to the top of the tree, making it blow fiercely to knock a few leaves down. I then made the wind under my control blow them towards me. A few natural gusts joined mine, making a heavy wind.

I felt the wind hit me, carrying the objects of my attention. It was kind of hard, though, because once the leaves separated themselves from the branch, they quickly started losing color and faded to black. I made the wind scurry around, trying to find a hint of the bright green. I spotted some color, so I shot the wind to it using my arms for extra speed. It caught it, and I made a miniature tornado that cradled the now black leaf. I made the wind bring the object to my cupped hand, then the chakra returned to me on its own. I opened my eyes to find the item in my hand a whole flower instead of just a leaf. The cherry blossom's pink petals were still intact and attached to the base of the bloom. I smiled, and jumped up and down, then fell to the ground without energy. I breathed heavily, smiling up at the puffy gray clouds

"I did it! Sensei, I did it!" Sensei ran toward me and I showed her the blossom. She took it and gingerly placed it in my hair, smiling. She grabbed my hands and helped me up. I didn't let go of hers, instead spinning her around, like the wind spirit did to me. I stopped, partly because I remembered her but mostly because I was dizzy. "Sensei, what are those beings? The spirits?"

"They are sprites, creatures of nature that reside in the trees, or the water, or the wind, and so on. You must get their approval before trying to merge with their energies or homes."

"What about water? All ninjas can walk on water, can they manipulate natural chakra like this?"

"Yes, but- well, look." She held up both hands palm-up. "What do you see?" I had to turn on my Chakra-Vision, but what I saw when I did was that one hand was encased in blue chakra, the other in purple. I repeated this information, then released my Chakra-Vision. "Correct. The blue is normal, every shinobi and kunoichi has it in them. It is used for jutsus and performing amazing feats, but not by working with the chakras of nature. Instead, it works _around_ it - like on water - or if its something like wind jutsus, creates its own."

"The purple, on the other hand, is something few have naturally. Some people, like yourself, have to work to get it. Some don't have it at all. This purple chakra can be used to take control of natural elements, like the wind or trees. You have to contact the spirit of the element, the sprite, first though. If she or he likes you, they'll agree to let you merge your chakra with theirs. Sometimes, they relinquish full control." The wind blew our hair into our faces. "Sometimes, they help you, and you two work together." The trees rustled in the breeze. "This allows you to control them. As for water, the blue chakra holds you up - it merges with the water, not the water's chakra. Works around it, like I said earlier. The purple chakra will merge with both the water _and_ the sprite's chakra, and you can control it."

"So what _is_ Chakra-Vision? A jutsu? Bloodline limit? What is it, exactly?"

Sensei sighed. "It's neither. It's not a bloodline limit because almost everyone can do it, it just takes years of practice and has been widely forgotten, save for a few far-off people. It's not a jutsu either, because even though it uses the purple chakra, it doesn't eat up any of the normal chakra. It's… Well, it's just a mystery."

As I digested this new information and confusion, my stomach complained for something it could digest. I yawned, lead settling into my bones. I guess the adrenaline rush chases away the aftereffects of using my new gift. Sensei and I walked back to our temporary home as the sun set. Shizune greeted us with a smile and food - steak - which I ate greedily. When all of us finished, we made another fire and toasted marshmallows for s'mores. After I ate six of them, I finally had enough to go to bed happily. I stayed up though, so that my food could digest and I wouldn't gain any fat.

"She caught a flower today." Sensei informed Shizune as we watched the dying fire.

"That's amazing, Sakura-chan!" I don't know why, but Shizune didn't seem to like me when we first met, although I think she's warming up to me.

I blushed. "Thank you, Shizune-senpai. But I have a good teacher, that's why."

"Sakura-chan," Sensei said, "you're an amazing girl. There has not been one person to get as far as you have in the same amount of time. Four days. It took even me two and a half weeks to learn to do that. You're that strong."

I blushed. We talked awhile, but eventually I needed sleep. I excused myself. They understood. As I settled in, I heard thunder. Were the storms coming in early? Oh well.

In my dream, I ran. I ran from someone, that much is certain. I heard his footsteps pounding after me. I glanced behind me. The man I was running from was Sasuke! A very grown-up Sasuke, a couple of years older than he is now. He wore black pants, a purple rope around his waist with a bow tied in the back, and a loose, open shirt showing off his chest. I looked at myself, still running. I was older too, but I was scared. _Why am I running from Sasuke_? I tripped and fell into his arms. Somehow, he appeared in front of me. I smiled up at him, relieved. He leaned down. Were we going to kiss?

I never found out. I woke up then. I shook off the dream and joined Sensei in the kitchen. After another quick breakfast, she and I went back to our training grounds. The wind blew violently and the sky was overcast.

"I thought you said a few more days. It's only been one." I told Sensei.

"Eh," she shrugged, "simple miscalculation. Besides, the storms aren't quite here yet. We need to work on your Chakra-Vision. Now that I know you can truly use it with skill, we need to get it to a point where you aren't exhausted after you use it. We also need to make it where you activate it instantly, without having to meditate for a few minutes. It took about ten the first time, but that time keeps diminishing. So, I want you to activate and disable it over and over again. You need to get used to it."

So the next few hours I spent famished and tired. I wanted to be able to start it instantly by this afternoon. Which is why I turned down Sensei's offer of returning for lunch.

"Not until it rains," I told her, panting as I fell on my ass for the fifth or sixth time. She helped me up, glancing at the sky.

"That may not be far off, Sakura-chan." Sure enough, another ten minutes or so later we were scrambling for shelter before we got too drenched. When we got there, we took a break for lunch and rest. After an hour, Sensei summoned me to the basement training room. We trained in strength for a little bit, then moved on to training with the purple chakra. She turned the lights off and started giving me instructions. Since it wasn't dark yet, a small amount of light shone in from high windows.

"Sit on the floor, Sakura-chan." I sat cross-legged and she did the same in front of me. "Place your hands on the floor." She rested her palms against the tiles. I copied her. "And just feel. Let the purple chakra out through your hands. It'll send you information about your surroundings. Essential for espionage or cases where there is little or no visibility, but no natural chakra to help."

I triggered my Chakra-Vision. Like every time I did, I kept my eyes shut. Opening them seems to ruin the illusion. The room around me look bleak, the only visible thing , aside from the insects scurrying around, was Sensei. I shivered, not cold but frightened. I watched the woman in front of me send out waves of the purple chakra. At points, it would hit something I couldn't see. When it did, a small part returned to her and the rest would move over the object. I did the same, sending out a flat sheet of the violet energy instead of the rays used in controlling the elements. The shapes were outlined to me as the chakra bounced off of them. Tables, chairs, walls, all seen in my mind for fleeting moments before disappearing into darkness once again. Sensei's method was to pulse the chakra to have a constant view of the surroundings. It tried this too.

"This is amazing, Sensei." Despite the negative energy of the room, my mood lifted at seeing the room in flashes like this. I could even see the rusty stains on the walls and floor! But the chakra that returned to me from them shocked me, ruining my good mood.. I gasped and opened my eyes. "S-Sensei, w-w-w-what is this? This feeling?" She looked at me with sad eyes.

"They're leftover emotions, feelings people had that were so extreme, they left a mark. Permanently. Even with your surprising mastery of this technique, you should not be able to sense this yet."

"Leftover emotions? But-but they're all of fear and despair! There's something you're not telling me! What is it?" I stood, trembling. These feelings scared me, they were incredibly strong. "What the _hell_ happened here?"

She sighed. "This place belonged to an old friend of mine. He… he used to fight for Konoha, but that was just a cover. In reality, he kidnapped, killed and… experimented on humans. Years ago, he left, abandoning his village and his 'friends'."

"How do we know that he won't come back here? If he used it in the past, won't he use it again?" I asked, scared of being caught by him.

"He won't come back. This place is too close to the village. He wouldn't dare." She glared in my direction, not really _at_ me, but _through_ me. A flash of lightning lit the room, setting the atmosphere. "Even if he did, I promise to protect you, Sakura-chan. Don't worry." Thunder rolled by, and I nodded, assured by her words. She sighed once again. "Come on, Sakura-chan. I think that's enough training for today."

She stood and together we walked up the stairs. The meal we ate was in silence, only Shizune was trying to soothe the depressing awkward silence. When that was over, we sat around the fire again. I held my knees against my chest, watching the fire and the storm in turns. The lightning flashed dangerously close, followed soon after by the rippling swells of thunder. The fire crackled, popped, and flared in some invisible wind. The room of death, as I now call it, had me in a gloomy, depressed, and slightly jumpy mood. I squeezed my legs tighter with each loud _BOOM! _or unexpected flare from the fire. An hour of this went by. Shizune gave up on trying to pacify our sour moods before supper was over. I excused myself for bed.

"If you need me, just yell for me, ok, Sakura-chan?" Sensei told me. Shizune told me to call on her too if I needed anything. I thanked them graciously, then continued on to nightmares.

It was the same running dream, only more vivid. I was running away from Sasuke. I tripped, and he caught me as I fell forward on him. I have no clue how he ended up in front of me, but when I looked at him this time, I was scared. I tried to get out, but his grasp on my upper arms was strong. He leaned down, his lips hovering over my ear. He said my name angrily, and his grip tightened. He let go with one hand. I tried to pry his other one off with my fingers, but it was impossible. My emerald eyes met his vengeful red ones. He raised his other hand, immersed in an eerie blue glow. I didn't like it. I guess it's a good thing I woke up then.

I gasped, panting, feeling the hut shake from a particularly rough bout of thunder, the kind that you feel as if it were right there at you. It took my breathe away. A flash of lightning lit up the sky outside, followed by the growl of thunder. I screamed. Sensei called to me to make sure I was ok, and I answered the I was, it was just surprise that got me, I'll call her name if I need her. Rain pummeled the roof. All these loud sounds… I don't know how I heard him.

"…damn it…"

I gasped, then covered my mouth. Someone was outside my window! I considered calling for Sensei or Shizune, but he would hear me and probably do something about it. Instead, I chose to use my chakra to see who it was. I placed one trembling hand on the rough floor, an easy thing to do since my mat was on the ground. I sent out the chakra, and what I got back was the picture of a boy with a misshapen back. He stood leaning against the wall next to my window, trying to fend off the rain from what I could tell. He wasn't doing a good job. In my mind, I saw his form move. He got closer to my window. I panicked as he somehow opened it, even though it was locked. I decided to pretend I was sleeping, relaxing my hand and arm. Tears rolled through closed lids as I saw the boy hover over me. I searched the room with the chakra, searching for something to distract him so I could get away with calling for help.

"You can quit pretending now," he said before I could. The voice was cold, but I've heard it before.

Gaara. Why was Gaara here? With him came the same scent from the first rainy day. I merely opened my eyes. The misshapen back of the figure was from his gourd. I watched him watching me. Then I was overcome with more fear. I felt like crying. I realized the room of death was directly under me. Quickly, I retracted my hand and huddled in my sleeping bag, even whimpering some when thunder cracked outside my window. I hate this! Even though I was no longer touching the ground, I could still feel the empty void of heartlessness below me. I quivered, pulling my sleeping bag tighter around me and squeezing my eyes shut.

"What's wrong?" My eyes shot open and searched Gaara's. "Well?"

"I- N-nothing. It's just-" Lightning flashed and thunder boomed outside my window. I squealed and buried my head under the covers. I heard a _thump, _then felt Gaara sit down beside me. I peeked through the sheets at him. His back leaned against the wall, the leg and hand closest to me were on the floor, the other leg was raised with the arm on his knee. His gourd rested against the wall beside him, and he just stared at the opposite side of the room. He must have felt my gaze, because he looked at me from the corner of his eye.

_I'm just ignoring the spooky blank stare That he's giving me, _I told myself, turning away from reality, I wanted to avoid his gaze because I felt nervous, not scared of him. My thoughts drifted to Sasuke. He wanted to protect me, to stop me from fighting Gaara. I wonder what he's thinking about now. Both Sasuke and Gaara. I know Sasuke probably hasn't thought of me since he left to train with Kakashi, and probably won't until he sees me again. But Gaara was _here,_ trying in his own way to comfort me in this storm. And I was ignoring it.

"I'm scared of the thunderstorm." I whispered over my shoulder to him. I felt his eyes on me again.

"I didn't think you would be," he replied. I twisted to face him.

"Don't get me wrong, Gaara-san," I told him angrily. "I'm just- it's complicated. I don't have to-" _BOOOOM! _House-shaking thunder rattled the room, and in fear I shot out of my sleeping bag and squeezed my arms around his chest. My face I dug against his chest, trying to mask my tears, but I couldn't hide my sobbing. I felt his arms hovering around me, as if he was trying to figure out what to do. Finally, he placed them on my shaking form and rubbed my back awkwardly. "I-I'm sorry," I gasped after a few minutes of this. "I didn't mean to." I tried to pull myself out of his arms, still sobbing, but he held me tighter.

"It's ok. Just-just tell me why you're scared."

Was he as nervous as I was? I don't know. But I explained it to him, how the room below us scared me. I still trembled, but he held me softly. Eventually I fell asleep encased in the safety of his arms.

**Wow. Over 7500 words. Sorry I couldn't update sooner, but my mom's been hogging my computer. I considered ending on a Gaara POV, but 7500+ words. Deal with it. I can't help but feel I'm not getting Gaara right. I think he's ooc, but I don't know. Tell me your thoughts, please? How am I doing?**

**Also, I drew some fanart for this story. Check out my profile for the links ;)**


	5. Sand Sibs

**Again, thank you for the reviews ^/^**

**Freak-With-Issues, jasmine (no, it's not in the manga/anime, this technique is just something I made up one day), Bloody. 5507, Rydia, Reibuki Shihaisha, LilMizProblem, romyblossom, O, MidnightWhisper15, TickiTaviTovo**

**This chapter focuses mainly on the sand sibs. Questions not answered in the story will be answered at the end ;)**

****Gaara POV****

_Sakura trusts me._

That's all that went through my mind as I held her during the storm. That stupid storm. I glanced down at the pinkette snoozing softly in my arms. Maybe it's not so stupid after all. The fact that she was more scared of the storm than me made me surprisingly happy. Just some of the mixed feelings I have about her. The storm blew in from nowhere; it was so unexpected. I thought the clouds were lingering from the recent rains.

The first day it rained, I sensed it coming. I was watching her train. I don't know what she was doing, exactly. To me, it looked like she was just standing there, then falling down all worn out and hungry. The final time she did, her companion brought her food, then the two older women left her all alone. A stupid move, since the sensei was brought in to protect her from me. Sakura was handed the rest of the food, and for some reason, she came to eat it under the tree I was in. When she was finished, she closed her eyes and relaxed against the tree. The first drop fell right as she started dozing, then it started heavier. Before that happened, though, I jumped down and stood facing her, my sand shielding us from the rain. Personally, I hate the rain. Living in the desert can do that to a person. The wind blew colder and colder, causing Sakura to shiver. I didn't know what to do to help, but I knew she'd get sick if left alone. So I sat beside her and she snuggled right into me, seeking warmth, I guess. I don't know what she was dreaming about, but she said my name a couple of times. Shukaku teased me about her, saying I should kill her here and now since she was making me soft, but I dismissed those thoughts and sent him scurrying to the furthest corner of my mind. Eventually, the rained stopped. I tried to move away from her, but found I didn't want to. Then I heard her sensei returning and had to.

The rain continued into the night, but I was back in my hotel room by then. Usually, I returned to Konoha to check in with my siblings before dark. But when the thunder and lightning started, I decided the little shack was closer than Konoha, and the water pounding down was much worse than what fell the past couple of nights. So I opted to go there and try to fend off the rain as best I could. I stood on the porch, but then I heard her scream. I followed the sound to her window, using my sand as an umbrella. I saw her, lying there panting, assuring her sensei that she was ok. She seemed scared. Suddenly an icy gust of wind blew the rain around my sand and into my face.

"I hate rain, damn it all to hell!" I growled to no one in particular. I tried to reform my sand in any way that it could shield me, but no matter what I did, the rain got in. So I used it to open her window and enter the dry house instead. When I faced her, after shutting the window, she had an arm out of her sleeping bag. Her hand was palm-down, and her eyes were shut. She was feigning sleep. Annoying.

"You can quit pretending now," I told her. She opened her eyes to look at me. I saw fear enter her them, and I started to get angry. Did she fear me now? No, she pulled her hand back into her bag and curled up as thunder cracked. She squeezed her eyes shut and squeaked. That's when I realized she was scared of the storm and… something else. "What's wrong?" She opened her eyes and I saw tears shining in the corners of them. She just lied there, staring at me. "Well?" I asked her.

"I-I-" she stumbled over her words. "N-nothing, it's just-" She never finished because of the thunder that boomed near us. She screamed again and hid under the covers. I sighed, letting my gourd fall to the floor and following it down to the ground. I leaned against her wall, one knee up with my arm resting on it, the other flat on the ground. I watched the shadows of trees on the opposite wall dance in the wind. When I felt her eyes on me, I watched her from the corner of my eye, never moving my head. She blushed, then turned to face the other way. I watched the wall again. Several minutes passed, and I thought about why she turned away from me. Did she trust me not to harm her so much that she turned her back to me and tried to sleep?

"I'm scared of the thunderstorm," she said softly. This didn't surprise me, but it didn't seem like her. So I told her.

"I didn't think you would be." I heard the rustling of her covers. She turned to face me again.

"Don't get me wrong, Gaara-san," she said angrily. I liked the way she said my name. "I'm just- it's complicated. I don't have to-" Again, she didn't finish because thunder boomed, this clap more overhead. She didn't scream this time, but surprised me when she jumped from the floor and into my arms. Her face disappeared into the clothing of my chest, but I felt the tears and sobs that followed. Her hands clenched the back of my black t-shirt as she wrapped her arms around me. I just held mine out, away from her. Finally, when her sobbing shook her whole body, I placed my arms around her shaking shoulders and rubbed her back with one hand. I felt weird doing this, but it was a good weird.

"I-I'm sorry," she sobbed quietly now, "I didn't mean to…" She tried to pull away, but I held her tightly. I didn't want this feeling to end.

"It's ok. Just-just tell me why you're so scared." _What _is this girl doing to me? Tripping up my words? _And I'm blushing too!_

She explained to me the room below the house, the one where her sensei's friend used to experiment on people in. As she neared the end of the story, she started drifting, and fell asleep in my arms. Again, her level of trust in me astounded me. I looked at her form and felt her hands still clenching my clothes, but they were more relaxed than when she first grabbed them. She still shone. No one else I know does that. I examined her serene face. I hear Temari talk about 'cute' all the time, mostly about boys, but I never really grasped the concept of it. Maybe I do now. Sakura could be…'cute'. But I'd say she is more beautiful. The thing that makes her shine is still there, but it seems no one else can see it. As I watched, her face scrunched up, her hands renewing their steel-like grip on my back. She started mumbling in her sleep again.

"Sasuke? What..? NO!" She started whining then. I patted her back again, shushing her. She relaxed once more, then uttered, "Thank you, Gaara…" She snuggled deeper into my arms. This is getting annoying, but I have nothing better to do. So why not comfort a 'cute' girl caught in the grip of fear?

I watched her for some time, then I would shift my gaze to the window or other wall, alternating every few minutes. The storm never slowed, I was trapped here until it did. Eventually, the morning came and Sakura awoke. I just frowned at the storm through the window and listened to the hammering beat of the rain. Thunder and lightning still clashed in the sky, and the sun fought the clouds for dominance. Only a little natural light got in, so the room remained dark. Sakura threw herself off me blushing and stammering an apology. I looked at her, but she looked to the floor, stopping her incessant babbling.

She jumped when someone knocked at the door. "Coming!" she called, then ushered me to the side of the room that would be hidden when she opened the door. "Just stay quiet, ok?" she whispered to me. I nodded, and she left. She was away all day. The storm continued to rage outside. At the end of the day, she brought me some food and fell asleep while I ate. It continued like this for three days.

I marveled at her trust in me for the last time, then left when the storm lessened in the middle of the night. She had that much trust in me, but I didn't trust myself around her. I've been suppressing Shukaku, but being near her this long… I could feel her blood, it sang out to me. I returned to my hotel room, finding Temari and Kankuro asleep. There was a third person in the bed that would have been mine, if I ever slept. I watched the remainder of the storm from the window.

"Gaara?" A sleepy voice asked. I ignored it to continue surveying the scattered rains. "I'm glad you're alright," Temari continued.

"Yeah, we were worried about you," Kankuro finished. I glanced at them, seeing relief in their eyes. I could tell Temari wanted to hug me.

I simply grunted, then returned my attention to the window, grabbing my head. I heard the rustling of the bed sheets, followed by their heavy breathing as they fell into sleep. Whatever Sakura did to me didn't stop when she wasn't around, although it did lessen. I've been starting to feel _things,_ things I haven't felt in years. I shut my eyes and tightened the grip on my head, trying to run the surfacing memory away. _Things I haven't felt since Yashamaru._ The memory of his death invaded my mind, despite all my trying to suppress it. It never brought tears to my eyes, not anymore. I've managed to keep my tears - and emotions - in check this long. I have to. I am Sabaku no Gaara. I am the greatest weapon of the Hidden Sand village. I am a ruthless killer.

And I have to keep it that way, it doesn't matter how Sakura makes me feel.

****Kankuro POV****

I'm so glad Gaara returned. Temari and I have been so worried about him. He is our little brother, even after all he has done. We had been searching for days, before and during the storm. I had to force Temari to take a break, after going two days straight. I was worried about Sakura, too. I still am. What if Gaara hurt her? We have a plan we have to stick to!

Speaking of which, our father sent someone to check up on us. Her name is Kasumi, a jonin from my village. I don't know much about her, just that she was adopted after wandering around in the desert for a while and almost dying. She says she doesn't remember anything before her adoptive parents found her. I was surprised to see her here. She came the same day the storm did.

I was walking around at sunset, searching for my missing little brother. I found her under the shelter of a doorway, trying to stay dry. I almost didn't recognize her, all I saw at first was her hair - two brown pigtails high on her head. I walked down the street, right past her, deciding to ignore the poor soul that got trapped in the rain. When I reached the end of the street, I turned around to check it again, and that's when I saw her face. Her Suna headband hid her eyes, but I recognized the tattoo on her right cheek, just under the eye - the kanji for truth. I approached her then. I cursed mentally as I stepped in a puddle. She turned her head in my direction and tensed up.

"Who's there?" she called.

"Kasumi-san! It's just me, Kankuro." I had to shout to be heard over the rain, but she relaxed at that.

"Kankuro-sama, thank god I found someone familiar!"

"What are you doing here, Kasumi-san? Are you on a mission?"

"Yes, I've come to discuss the plan to take over Konohagakure with you, Temari-sama, and Gaara-sama. Kazekage-sama wants to make a few changes, after reviewing Baki's last report."

"Why? What about the last report? I- UGH!" I was interrupted by the sound of thunder. "Come on, I'll take you to our hotel, where we can talk about it better."

I held out the end of my umbrella, and she placed her hand over mine. I let her, and we ran to the hotel, trying our hardest not to get drenched. We succeeded, for the most part, but we still had to change our clothes. I let her use the bathroom, while I changed in the bedroom. When I was finished - and wearing jeans and a t-shirt, without my face paint - I went to the kitchenette to make a warming tea for us. The TV was turned on, and I glanced into the living room to see Kasumi sitting on a couch flipping through the channels. She had let her hip-length hair down, but her clothes were the same - a fishnet shirt that stopped above her abdomen, with bandages starting from that point. The long skirt she wore had slits on both side up to her thighs, revealing the black shorts she wore underneath. The only things she was missing were her knee-high boots, jonin vest, and headband. She still wore that, only it was around her neck instead of her eyes. I placed the finished tea and some cups, sugar, and cream on a tray and took it to the living room.

"You have strange eyes," I told her, placing the tray on the coffee table. They were a light grayish-purple color, with no pupils. They seemed familiar. She just shrugged, fixed her tea the way she likes it, then put her headband back over her eyes. I took the remote and switched the TV to the news. It looked like the storm was going to last several days, a week at most. I groaned. Temari walked in then, soaked to the bone. "Hey, what happened to your umbrella?" I asked her.

"Lost it," she grumbled, heading straight to the bedroom. She came out in shorts and a sweater, toweling off her hair. "What's new? Did you find Gaara?"

"No, but I found someone else. Temari, you remember Kasumi-san, don't you?"

Temari joined us at the table and made her own cup of tea. "It's good to see you again, Kasumi-san."

"The same to you, Temari-sama. Where is Gaara-sama? You seem distressed, is everything ok?"

Temari sighed. "No. Gaara's gone missing."

"Well how long has he been gone?" Kasumi asked.

"Since this morning."

"This morning? That's not a very long time, Temari-sama. I'm sure he's fine, just trapped somewhere in the storm, like I was." I wanted to shake my head and warn her against that, but she wouldn't have seen me. I know that Temari, as the eldest, takes responsibility for Gaara and me while our father isn't around. I also know that, like me, she loves Gaara, and worries about him as much as I do - if not more. She probably won't cry over anyone who dies in our attack, but I know she's got a soft spot for Sakura, like me, and is probably worried about her wellbeing, too.

Temari just shook her head sadly. She finished her tea, changed back into her ninja gear, grabbed an apple from the kitchenette, and left with a brisk, "I'm going to look some more." Fine. Let her wear herself out. Instead, I chose to rest and let Kasumi fill me in on what's happening in Suna.

"In Baki's last report, he told of a pair of women he overheard talking about Gaara. They were in the market, gathering supplies. He described the situation as 'two women, appearing to be in their late twenties. One was taller than the other. She had straw-blonde hair in two loose ponytails and a distinct purple diamond on her forehead. The other one had fair skin and short, dark hair. This one asked if a girl named Sakura would be safe from Gaara if they left her alone. The other one shushed her, and they dropped the subject.' After Kazekage-sama read this, he consulted with Orochimaru-sama. He thinks the two are the legendary Sanin Tsunade, Konoha's Slug Princess, and her apprentice, Shizune. Kazekage-sama now wonders about the situation. With a Sanin, the attack may be futile. And he also wants to know about this girl the dark-haired one talked about."

I sighed, thinking this over. I know of the Sanin. Three legendary ninja, trained by the third and current Hokage. They grew into amazing power, but one defected to darkness. This one is Orochimaru, the man who now plots the destruction of his hometown with my father. It would be amazing if Sakura got a one of them for a teacher, but… "Why does he want to know about Sakura?"

Kasumi shrugged. "He told me Orochimaru has taken interest in her, seeing as she is someone his former teammate chose to teach."

My heart went out to Sakura. I'm not as soft as Temari, but I don't know anyone who would like to catch the interest of not only Gaara, but Orochimaru as well. It made me shudder at the thought. I told Kasumi our situation: Gaara has taken a liking to the Konoha kunoichi Haruno Sakura. He followed her around after the preliminary rounds and eventually attacked her, even with her teammates standing right there in front of her. Sakura got herself a protector/sensei to train her until the final round of the Chunin Exams. Kasumi nodded, taking notes.

"There is one more thing," I said as Kasumi was about to return her notebook and pencil to her pocket.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I asked Gaara what makes Sakura so special once. He told me that he didn't know, just that she 'shined'. On the day of the preliminary rounds, I actually talked to her while Gaara fought. She seemed to be able to see through him. I could tell she wanted to help him overcome his hate, even if she was scared. I respect her for that." Kasumi nodded. We spent several hours in silence, just watching the storm on TV. I got up and stretched with a yawn around eleven. "I'm tired, how about you? I'll show you our room, and you can use Gaara's bed."

"Thank you, but what about Temari-sama?"

"Don't worry about her. She'll probably show up in the morning, successful in her quest or not. Just follow me." I started towards the bedroom, looking forward to a good night's sleep.

"If you're sure." I heard her click off the television, then get up and follow me. I opened the door and led her to the only untouched bed in the room.

"Baki-sensei gets his own room, all to himself, and made us three share a room, but Gaara usually sits on the roof all night just watching the city."

"Oh. Ok."

With that, she went to the bathroom and we changed into our pajamas. I stretched out on my messy bed, falling quickly into a deep sleep. No dreams. When I woke up the next morning, Temari still hadn't returned, and I worried for not only my missing brother, but my sister, too. I know she can handle herself, but what can I say? It doesn't matter if I'm a younger brother, I want to protect my family. Not to mention the storm still raged outside. I sighed and glanced at our unexpected visitor. I changed into my ninja gear quickly, then left her a note saying I was going to look for Temari.

I cursed when I reached the door, realizing she forgot to take the umbrella last night. If she keeps up like that, she'll get sick. I took the umbrella and went, probably stupidly, in search of my family.

****Temari POV****

I don't know why Kankuro was so relaxed. Our _little brother _had gone _missing_. He was usually back long before sunset, so when he didn't come in at all, I was worried. Of _course _I was worried! I have to put up with Gaara's scary shit and Kankuro's mischievous shit at the same time! They're a handful, as much as they deny it, and as the oldest, I want to protect them. I'm not sure why we should help with Orochimaru's revenge. It's _his _grudge, not the Sand's, but I will perform my duty as a Sand kunoichi. My loyalties lie where my father is, no matter how against war I am.

But I can worry about the impending war later. We, as a team, have much planning to do for the attack, and with the arrival of Kasumi, we may have even more to fret about. I thought about none of this, choosing to look for my youngest brother. I probably should have grabbed the umbrella on my way out, but no matter. I can always use my fan, which is what I used now to stop most of the rain from reaching me. The thunder and lightning crashed and flashed in randomness. I ran through the streets, fan overhead, all night searching for him.

_Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe I should just get some rest, like Kankuro. _This ran through my mind quite a few times, and every time it did, I stopped and started back to the hotel. But then I remembered Gaara. He hates the rain, it makes his sand heavier and harder to use if he needs it. A few times, I thought of Sakura - the girl that became my friend practically overnight. If Gaara were alone with her, who know what he would do? I ran for hours likes this, stopping every now and then to turn back, only to resume my search without rest. Eventually, my strength wore thin and I couldn't hold my fan up anymore. I placed it on my back, then dashed between awnings and doorways to keep out of the ceaseless rain. Still, I got drenched.

That's when Kankuro found me.

"You idiot, running off like that! You're the oldest, I expected you to be more responsible than this." He held the umbrella out so that both of us were sheltered under its small size. "I've been looking for you all day!"

"All… All day? I thou…ought it was night." I panted.

"No, I slept through all night. It's now around seven-thirty in the evening, the day after you left."

I've been searching all night _and_ day? Damn! No wonder I was so exhausted. "I can't believe how thick the clouds are, to make me unable to tell the difference between night and day."

"Come on, let's get some food in you, _big sis._" This last part he said sarcastically. I looked around. Despite the bad storm, a lot of places were open. I saw one in particular that I wanted to go to. I grabbed Kankuro's hand and pulled him towards it. He let me, and I was reminded of the times I had to look out for him while our father was focused on Gaara. I cherished those memories, from times we were kids. I often find myself wondering how Gaara would have turned out, had he been raised with Kankuro and me, instead of away from us.

The curtains to the shack were closed, but moved aside easily when I brushed my hand through them. The same old man and young woman were tending the shop, and welcomed me with a smile. I took a seat at the bar, Kankuro mimicking my actions.

"Hey, aren't you Sakura-chan's friend?" the old man asked jovially. I nodded and gave my name, but he frowned. "You aren't planning on staying here half the night again, are you?"

"No," I reassured him, "I'm just here for a quick pick-me-up. This is my younger brother, Kankuro." He accepted my answer and took our orders. A few minutes later, Kankuro and I were enjoying the best noodles in town. As we ate, the old man - who revealed his name to be Teuchi - made small talk. I chatted easily with him, then waved goodbye to him and the girl - Ayame - as Kankuro and I left. Both were worried about Sakura, and asked questions I didn't have an answer for. We walked, not too slow and not too fast, back to the hotel.

"So, you and Sakura-chan made friends there." It wasn't a question, though I answered it like one.

"Yes. But to be fair, you made friends with her during the Exams."

"Yeah, I guess." In the silence that followed, I though of the strange girl. She made friends with us in two days. She can hold her own in a fight, for a few minutes at least. And she's- she's… "She's different." Kankuro voiced my thoughts. He told me about the shine Gaara says she has, and how she seemed to know him from just a few looks, and how she may have the Sanin Tsunade as her mentor.

"I asked around the village, and no one seems to have any faith in her. She told me her mentor was going to teach her a new technique, so maybe she'll be able to handle Gaara." I revealed to Kankuro.

"I'm sure she'll find some way to make it. Maybe she can even change Gaara for the better!"

I liked his optimism. I agreed, and we finished the trip to our hotel in ten minutes. The next night, as the rains dwindled, Gaara returned. I was half-asleep, and when I heard the boards creak under the weight of him, I almost jumped out of the bed. Instead, I simply told him I was glad he'd returned. Kankuro chimed in with how worried we were, and Kasumi just slept. Gaara ignored us, only turning his head and grunting to acknowledge us. He seemed even more distressed than usual. I don't know where he's been spending all his time away from us, and I don't want to pry, but maybe it's time to find out. I drifted to sleep, reassured by his presence.

****Sakura POV****

I finally finished the dream. The one with Sasuke? I know what happens.

I run away from him, and then trip into his arms for the third time. And for the third time, he leaned down to whisper something in my ear. This time, he whispered "Sakura… _Princess…_" angrily, still squeezing my arm. He released one arm for his jutsu. I tried to escape his grip, but couldn't. His hand erupted in the blue glow, and the sounds of birds filled my ears. Sasuke drove this hand to my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut. The hand stopped barely an inch from my heart. When I opened my eyes, Sasuke's upper arm was encased in sand. Looking around, I saw an older Gaara standing with his arms crossed. Sasuke threw me to the ground and tried to drive a kunai through my heart, but again was stopped by sand. Sand also gathered underneath me and lifted me to Gaara's side. He held a hand out and I took it. His strength gave me strength, and together we chased away the raven-haired boy and all the others that lurked in the shadows of my dream. Together, we stood, encased in a pink light, and shone brightly, guiding others plagued by nightmares to the soft warmth of security.

**Dafuq did I just write? You guys have stories that write themselves too, right? And I don't mean they're easy to write, I mean they develop a mind and soul of their own. And I am considering a sequel to this, once it reaches an end. And I do know how it ends, and what some of the final scenes are, I just need to get to them.**

**I think I made Temari too protective and worrisome.**

**Kasumi is an oc of TickiTaviTovo. I hope you approve!**

**Jasmine - no, it's not in the manga/anime, this technique is just something I made up one day.**

**MidnightWhisper15 - Yes, the room was used by Orochimaru. The whole hut was designed by Orochimaru, in fact. He had the basement designed to look smaller than it is, the entire basement floor is bigger than the house. The log room was made about half the size of the house, the room of death is a lot bigger and provides more room to train. Tsunade thought it would be safe to train Sakura there since she can block the emotions that come back. She didn't expect Sakura to feel leftover emotions at this point in her training, though.**

**And if you'll excuse me, I haven't slept since two in the afternoon yesterday. I didn't stay up writing this, did I? I don't remember. Oh well. Good night, and Sweet dreams, coming to you from me at almost 11:30 am!**


	6. Fairytales

**Grrrr…. I just lost what I've written so far… But thanks for the reviews.**

**Darkangelrawr, TickiTaviTovo, Wealse-chan, animelover171, KawaiiShyGirl, romyblossom, Freak-With-Issues, pillowwolfpup, SxH, Reibuki Shihaisha, WinterXstarxz, Rydia**

**Also, bear with me on the scrolls to learn thing, I'm kind of making it up as I go along. **

****Sakura POV****

I'm surprised Gaara held me all night. The Sasuke nightmare lingered on my mind that day, when I had to concentrate on the medical scrolls Sensei placed in front of me. She explained to me how they worked: I concentrate on sending my normal blue chakra into the scroll. Through some long, drawn-out process I don't understand, it gets converted into the green healing chakra that circled through Sensei's and Shizune's systems. This required concentration, and it was hard enough to focus with the storm raging outside (although the tiled room muffled the thunder), the dream still on my mind made it near impossible. After about an hour of drifting in and out of attentiveness, Sensei smacked me upside the head and threatened to beat me until I couldn't focus on anything but my chakra. This gave me the frame of mind I needed. It took another hour of applying chakra to the scroll, but finally a strange tingle started in my hands as the blue surrounding them slowly converted to green. I called Sensei over excitedly. She approved and told me to keep up the good work, that once I had changed about a third of my chakra over, she would start teaching me to use it.

It took several more hours, but eventually Sensei thought I had done enough. She explained to me green chakra would grow on its own, but that using it would take some normal chakra. Then she placed an injured squirrel on the table. The poor creature was breathing heavily and its leg was at an odd angle. It must have been broken.

"Watch Sakura-chan, as I use the Mystical Palm Technique." She held her hand on the squirrel's leg, moving it back to a natural position. The mint-green chakra started, and spread to the squirrel. It seemed to relax, but tense up at the same time. A few minutes later, the squirrel bounded across the table and to the wall, wanting out. Sensei granted its wish, scooping it up and opening a window to release it into the storm. I had no doubt that it would soon return, either for shelter or once again injured.

"Sensei, where did you get that squirrel?" I asked, wary of the way it had been hurt.

"I found it." Sensei replied. "I often find small wounded animals that I fix up, then let go. Shizune does the same."

"So you didn't hurt it?" I don't want to heal an animal that was hurt on purpose.

"No, don't worry. We would never injure something in order to train. We'll find other animals, ones already hurt, to train you in medical ninjutsu. Speaking of medical… Follow me." She lead the way upstairs and over to a bookcase. She pulled out several heavy-looking books and handed them to me. "These are books on human anatomy, physiology, and disease. Study them. You need knowledge of the human body in order to heal someone - even yourself - successfully. Shizune and I will teach you poisons later in your training, should you survive the month."

"So, you'll take me on as your apprentice after this?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes, Sakura-chan. Now, study!"

I nodded, then sat at the table with the books and started reading through them. I took the smallest book and just started at the beginning. I read until I had a headache and had to rest my eyes. By the time we ate supper, I was already done with the first book. We ate, and I snuck some food to Gaara. The next two books were the same size (which was pretty big), so I grabbed one and took it to my room, too. I gave Gaara his food and settled down on my mat to read a little. The storm still scared me some, but Gaara's presence comforted me. At one point, I started to get sleepy. Right before I fell asleep, I remembered the cherry blossom flower I had caught. It still looked fresh, even after a day. To make it last longer, I placed it the book and closed it. Ino taught me how to press flowers long ago. With that done, I fell asleep.

Gaara was still there, and the storm still seethed outside. Another day of training in that room. Sensei decided on no more Chakra-Vision training in there, focusing only on my strength and medical training. Night came and again I took food to Gaara. I read the books I was given, trying to learn as much as I could about how the body works, then I would fall asleep. I repeated this schedule the next day, feeling the tempest lessen. Gaara, predictably, was gone when I woke up. Sensei and I trained in the room while the showers lingered. I did the exercises she instructed me to do, and over the few days we were there, I could see the muscles building every time I looked in the mirror. That was pleasing to me, it showed my growth.

With the storm finally gone, Sensei and I returned to the practice field. After another week, I was able to activate the Chakra-Vision instantly and see even with my eyes open. I could feel Gaara in the trees watching me. Two and a half weeks to get to this point. One and a half to go. This is when Sensei taught me how to gather chakra in my fist or foot and release it to make a powerful wave that can 'destroy buildings and cause one hell of a headache' as she put it. It took me a week to master this. Four days to go. At night, I studied medical ninjutsu and talked to Gaara through the window in my room, me sitting against the wall inside, him leaning against it outside. Often times he wouldn't reply to what I said, but there were a few moments that he would tell me about himself. On one clear night, I leaned out the window to gaze at the stars.

"They're so beautiful, don't you think?" I asked. He just gave me a questioning look. "The stars. I love watching them." The new moon made them shine even brighter.

I saw him glance up, then say, "There are more in Suna." In Suna, huh?

"Hey, Gaara-san?" He quirked a nonexistent eyebrow. "If I ever go on a mission to Suna, will you show me around?" Nothing, even after a few minutes, but I could feel his eyes on me. He seemed to be emitting uneasiness. I looked in his eyes, realizing how pretty they were. The black rings around them only seemed to illuminate the jade of his iris. I folded my arms on the windowsill and laid my head on them, just staring into his eyes.

"What?" he growled.

"Nothing, it's just…" I rustled his blood-red hair, feeling him tense up. He moved away from my hand, and I folded it back under my head. "You're just kinda cute," I finished with a mumble. He looked at me incredulously. I blushed and focused my attention on the night sky again, feeling him do the same as he moved back to his original position. "Ooh, ooh!" I said, excited. I grabbed his shoulder with one hand and pointed with the other. "Look!" Several streaks shot across the sky in a meteor shower. I leaned so far out the window, I almost fell to the grass beside Gaara. I would have busted my head open if his sand hadn't caught me. Instead, I was set gently beside him. Seeing one particularly bright one, I closed my eyes and folded my hands, mumbling to myself.

"What are you doing?" Gaara's gruff voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Making a wish. You're supposed to do that when you see a shooting star." That silenced him, but I could still feel his eyes on me. What should I wish for? Sasuke's love? I almost did wish for that, but the dream stopped me. The dream where Sasuke tried to kill me, but Gaara saved me. I don't know what that dream meant, but it stopped me from wishing about Sasuke. I thought of wishing for the strength to defeat Gaara when I fought him, but I don't really care about winning, not as much as I cared about helping him or proving that I'm not just a weakling. Instead I settled on wishing for Gaara: I wished for him to be happy. I opened my eyes, satisfied with my wish. I smiled and watched the remainder if the shower. As the night went on, and my eyes drooped, I felt sand lift me through my window and lay me gently on my bed. I fell asleep happy.

Gaara visited less after that. He would come a few nights, but mostly he just watched from the trees. I remembered what Temari said about him, about how the demon gets stronger with full moons. Since the moon was waxing, I guess Shukaku's power was, too. One day, he quit watching me as well. I don't know why, but it made me sad to know that he wasn't there anymore. I seriously need to think about how I feel about him. Oh well, plenty of time to later. But I found myself putting it off. I don't know why, but I told myself it was so that I could concentrate on my training.

Speaking of training, I had four days until the finals when Sensei started teaching me one of her remaining techniques. We went out to our usual place.

"The technique I am about to teach you will help you if you run low on chakra. This is the where rules come in, but first I have to teach you how to do it."

"What _is _it?"

"I'm about to teach you how to take chakra from other things, Sakura-chan. It's not that easy, but at the rate you're going, I don't think you have to worry about the time limit. Just watch." She knelt to the ground and placed both hands in the neon grass. Her purple chakra exited from them and shot towards a tree. I saw it climb the tree, and the two chakras melded. Instead of moving the tree or jumping into the wind, a bit of the pearl-purple chakra came back to Sensei. She gathered it all in a fist and slammed it into the ground, creating an enormous crater.

"Wow! Sensei, that was amazing!"

Sensei smiled at me. "You try it now."

I mimicked her actions and sent my chakra to a different tree. Before doing anything, I asked it for permission to join it. The sprite joined me, and I stood there not knowing what to do. So I talked to it.

"_Um, I was wondering… D-do you mind sharing some chakra with me?"_

The sprite nodded, and I thanked it. The chakra returned to me and I felt extreme power.

"S-Sensei! I- this is-" Unable to finish the sentence, I copied her once again and pounded the ground with a chakra-filled fist. I looked into Sensei's smiling face, a smile pulling at my lips as well.

"This is not all you can do when taking chakra. For instance, if you decide to take chakra from an animal, you also take on a few characteristics of the animal." I gave her a puzzled look, which she sighed at. "Watch, once again."

This time her chakra spread out wide. I followed it with my senses. It hit a deer a few meters away. The two violet life forces combined, and what came back engulfed Sensei. It shocked me into releasing my Chakra-Vision. Even so, I could see the fiery amethyst surrounding her. Despite both Sensei and the deer being female, antlers grew out of the cocoon, and a tuft of a tail stuck out behind her. I watched as she moved impossibly fast - going the speed a deer does when fleeing. She jumped as high as one as well.

Sensei just leaves me speechless sometimes. She dispersed the excess chakra in a less showy way this time, letting it loose in the wind. I couldn't wait to try that out. Sensei, sensing my anticipation, nodded permission to me. I placed my hands on the ground and sent out the purple chakra. The deer had fled, but I was able find a sparrow nesting on a nearby branch. I don't know what connecting with it would be like, but it seemed wary of me. I made my chakra approach it slowly, cautiously making contact with it. It got scared and flew away. The flurry of beating wings knocked the chakra back to me, making me lose balance and fall from my crouched position to my ass. Sensei cocked an eyebrow at me, taking note of the bird's distress.

"Sakura-chan, did you try to take some from the bird?" I nodded, embarrassed by my failure. Sensei shook her head. "Sakura-chan, not even I can do that."

"Why not? Is using a bird against one of those rules you spoke of?"

"No, but it's extremely hard to do. For some reason, birds are the most skittish of animals. They always run and are near impossible to catch."

"Why is it so hard?" I asked.

"Birds, if you startle them, will fly away. It wouldn't be so hard if we could send out the controlling chakra straight into the air, but we can't. Instead, we have to send it through the trees and wind. That can take some time, enough so that the bird can get away. In fact, it's difficult to catch bats and flying insects as well, but I've caught them before. They aren't as fast as birds. Try to find something else."

I did so, finding a rabbit instead. It was in a den nearby. My chakra circled it, trying to find a good spot to touch it at, choosing the forehead. The rabbit and I connected, appearing in a blank place, white surrounding us. I smiled at it, and it approached me cautiously. I pet it, and asked to use some chakra. It gave me its blessing, and a portion of it, and then sent my chakra back to me. I could feel the chakra encase me, and I felt long ears form on top of my head. These ears picked up sound from the edges of Konoha. I heard someone entering the village, Izumo and Kotetsu arguing playfully with the person. The voice sounded familiar, but he or she was too muffled for me to know who it was. Another thing I picked up was the rabbit's jumpy nature. I wanted to run away from this big-looking place. I tried to release the chakra like Sensei did, calm and smooth into the wind, but I couldn't. I tried it again, but failed. I panicked.

"S-Sensei! I can't release this!" I started hyperventilating.

"Sakura-chan, calm down!" I tried to, but I couldn't. I felt Sensei touch my shoulder. "Look at me. Sakura-chan, just look at me!" I found her eyes through tears I didn't know I was shedding. "Calm down, take deep breaths. You are only like this because of the rabbit. Take a deep breath in, slowly let it out." I followed her instructions, feeling the rabbit's anxious chakra drain out of me and into Sensei. Once it was all out of my system, I saw that it was in the wind. I stood there bashfully while Sensei looked me up and down. "Try another animal." This time, I found a fox and used some of its chakra. I felt the chakra form a tail and big ears. I tried again to release the chakra, but failed.

I didn't adopt the same wary nature as the rabbit, so I never panicked. The chakra detached itself after a few minutes. "What happened?" I asked Sensei.

She 'Hmmm'-ed and narrowed her eyes at me. "Hold still," she told me, placing her hands on my temples. I felt her chakra enter my system, searching for the problem. "The third major chakra point is acting out a little. Are you nervous about something?"

Nervous? _The finals are in four days. _"Nothing but the exams. What are you talking about, 'major chakra point?"

"What about change? Your Root Chakra point seems a little weak. Is something changing? Aside from all this, of course." 'All this' referring to my new jutsus and abilities.

Change… Gaara and Sasuke flashed through my mind. What did this mean? "I… I don't really know." That's the truth.

Sensei frowned at me. "You're going through some sort of change, that's all I know. You will have to overcome it in order to release the chakra on your own like that. Fortunately, the effect doesn't last very long, and should leave your system naturally after a minute or so."

"What do you mean by 'major chakra point'?" I asked again.

"You know that there are chakra points in the body, right?" I nodded, remembering how the Byakugan worked. "There are seven major points in our bodies. Depending on your emotion, they can overreact or be blocked, or vice versa. They can also be used to heal. I'll teach you this when you've advanced further in your medical training." My medical training. At this point, I've memorized most of the medical books in her library and can use the Mystical Palm technique in the field - without the scroll to help. "Come on, Sakura-chan. Let's go eat, and I'll explain the rules for borrowing chakra."

We ate our lunch on the porch with Shizune.

"As you already figured out, Sakura-chan, the first rule is to get permission before trying to steal chakra. If the spirit or animal approves of you, they will willingly give up a portion of their chakra to help you." I know that from experience. "The second rule: never take chakra from a domesticated animal or plant. That means no using the Inuzuka brat's dog or the flowers from your friend's shop. The owner of it will notice a change, and will be able to trace it to you. And before you ask, that ties in to the third rule, which is _don't let anyone know. _This ability is something that most people possess, it's just been long forgotten. I was surprised when I discovered I had it. My mother told me about it as a fairytale when I was young. It even spoke of a princess that was more powerful than normal users. I have the book I came from inside. It was what trained me when I realized the story was more than fiction."

"How could _anyone_ forget about something this amazing?" I inquired.

Sensei shrugged. "Who knows? People are forgetful, especially ninja who have retired. They sometimes force themselves to forget. Make sure no one knows about this. People may not understand it. That misunderstanding may lead to fear, which in turn may lead to hate. You may be ostracized. It may be used against you."

I nodded. "May I see the book you talked about?"

Sensei led the way inside. She reached for the top of the bookshelf. She pulled a dusty volume - thin, more like a child's picture book - and handed it to me. I opened it gently and read the first page. It was sort of like preface. It had a poem and a picture over a two-page spread.

_An amazing view from long ago times_

_Long forgotten, like hearing the chimes_

_Of faeries' voices or sprites' sighs._

_A view spectacular in all's eyes._

The illustration was of several people interacting with little winged beings and sprites made of water and trees. I flipped through the rest of the book realizing it _was _like a fairytale. The words on every page were punctuated by a picture or two. I was excited to read through it. Most of the book seemed to revolve around the wonders of using the vision. The last four pages were devoted to telling the story of the princess.

Apparently, the princess can actually befriend the sprites, instead of just use them. She can talk to them and see them without using the Chakra-Vision. Her 'unnatural' chakra is pink, not purple. "She seems so interesting! I wonder if she's real."

"You never know," Sensei answered, "I thought the whole thing was nothing more than a story, but it turned out to be true. I don't see why the princess can't be real, either."

"I hope she is. She must be really powerful. I'd like to meet her."

"She should appear soon. Look." Sensei directed my attention to the very last page.

'_The princess shall be brought forth in times of peril. She will save those she loves, and though thought of as weak, will become the most respected healer of her time and village.'_

"Something bad is going to happen soon," she said as she moved to her desk and picked something up. It looked like a scratch-off lottery ticket. "I just know." She put the ticket back and went outside, throwing a "Hurry up, you need to train more." over her shoulder at me. Before leaving, though, I inspected the scrap of paper she'd been holding. It _was _a scratch-off ticket, but I don't see how it was bad luck. She'd won ten thousand ryo. There were several high winners scattered on the desk, in fact.

I left the tickets alone and rushed out the door when Sensei called me again.

**Thanks for reading! The finals start next chapter, I'm so excited!**


	7. Finals Begin

**Sorry for the wait. I went on vacation the day I posted **_**Festival**_**. I got back a few days ago, but I've been recovering from the vacation. My whole family was worn out, and my mom's been hogging my laptop. So, sorry once again. Just a note: I'll skip most of the fights that happen in the manga. You know what happens then.**

**But thank you for the reviews~**

**FullMo0n, romyblossom, kitare, Freak-With-Issues, Black snake eyes, Wealse-chan, shadow miko, Rydia, emosaku, JMLAO, and a couple of anonymous reviewers!**

****Sakura POV****

I've been studying that book. The storybook with the fairytale? In the back, there are pages about only the princess. I've read those over and over again in the three days since Sensei showed it to me. Right now, the day before the Finals, the three of us are headed into town to sleep in a nice, comfy hotel room, as a reward for learning the technique so quick. Turns out the princess could be anyone - any girl - and there is a prince to go with her, although I only learned that while reading the index. There's a whole other book dedicated to him. I'll have to find it. The princess will be chosen by the Others, a race of mysterious people that 'came before all of known life, and live to judge those who are deserving'. They decide who the prince and princess will be, based on circumstance. Once chosen, the princess will be 'born from the Earth on wings of pink with flames will dance on her skin'. When this happens, all girls of her generation will lose the ability to become the princess, giving it to the chosen one to boost her in her times of need.

I've tried to feel for that piece that could possibly make me the princess, but I never found it. I put the book down on the bedside table. The clock beside it read 1:44 am. Despite the comfort of the cushy bed, it was hard to find sleep. Tomorrow - or today, whatever - I want to get up and train for at least a half hour before the exams. Gaara and I may be friends now, but that doesn't mean he'll go easy on me. The full moon will make sure of that. Temari warned me a month ago, but I haven't forgotten. I sighed and laid back on the covers, curling up hugging a pillow. I closed my eyes and just breathed, trying to loosen the knot in my stomach. When that didn't work, I sat up again. Sensei walked into my room, bringing the scent of hot chocolate.

"Can't sleep, huh?" she asked me.

"Nerves," was my answer. I took the warm mug she offered me, sipping the steaming liquid cautiously.

"I'm sure you'll do fine." She went on to talk about her first time at the Chunin Exams. I only listened to a little of it, my thoughts in other places, on other people. How will Naruto do against that ruthless Neji? What about Sasuke's curse mark? And I don't even know who to root for when Temari and Kankuro battle. Temari - the friend I made in just one night - or Shikamaru - the friend I've known for years, but doesn't believe in me? Kankuro or Shino? Well, that one isn't too hard to figure out. Creepy Shino who barely talks or Kankuro, who looked out for me in the preliminary rounds? Easy choice: Kankuro. That left one last fight: Gaara vs. me.

"Sakura-chan! Are you listening!"

"Uh- I- What?" No, I wasn't listening. Sensei sighed.

"Don't worry about tomorrow. You'll do fine," she assured me. "Just get some sleep. Here's a couple of sleeping pills. Don't take more than one unless one just doesn't cut it."

I nodded, but as soon as she left, I swallowed both with the rest of my coco. I settled down, then fell into a dreamless sleep.

****Ino POV****

Sakura's late! I haven't seen her since that day in the alley a month ago, and I've been worried ever since. Sure, she insulted us that day, but she's my best friend, and I'm worried about her. Now, sitting in the stadium, I just wait for her to get here on time. Everyone else is - Shikamaru, Sasuke, Naruto, Shino, the Neji guy, the Sound nin and the Sand team. Even Chouji and Tenten are sitting on either side of me. I could tell Chouji was worried about me. I think even Tenten was able to pick up on it.

"You're waiting for Haruno Sakura, right?" she asked me. I nodded. "You two seemed to hate each other when you fought."

"It was just an unfinished argument. We settled it when we fought."

"I'm sure she'll be here soon, don't worry."

I nodded and thanked her, then tried to relax and focus on what was going on. The Hokage was going on about how far the candidates have come, and how he looks forward to seeing their progress. The proctor took over, introducing himself as Genma. Weird, he's not the same one as before. I wonder what happened to the other guy.

"Welcome to the final portion of the Chunin Exams. The ten participants chose a number after the preliminary rounds, and that is how the order of the fights has been chosen. First is Hyuga Neji versus Uzumaki Naruto. Second is Uchiha Sasuke versus Kinuta Dosu." He kept rattling on about the line up. Third - Sabaku no Kankuro against Aburame Shino. Sabaku no Temari versus Nara Shikamaru. I know he'll kick her ass. The final match is, of course Haruno Sakura versus Sabaku no Gaara. I growled at his name. Genma counted the kids behind him. "The matches will begin in ten minutes. If the final contestant, Haruno Sakura, does not show up by then, she automatically forfeits, and Sabaku no Gaara will move forward."

"_What?" _I didn't know that! I thought she would have until her actual match! It's not until last! I tried to get up to yell at him, but Chouji held me down. "_Fine! _I'll be good." I sat down pouting, crossing my arms and legs. The minutes ticked by. _Where is she? _This is doing nothing for my nerves! My fingers tapped against my arm. I growled at The fat ass beside me, then watched then hands of my watch tick around the face of it. Nine minutes of excruciating wait went by. I chewed on my lips.

Genma sighed. "Haruno Sakura has for-"

"NO!" I jumped over Chouji's arms and ran to the rail. Naruto was down there, protesting with me. "You can't disqualify her! She still has thirty seconds left!"

Genma looked at me, and held Naruto away from him. "It makes little difference. Thirty seconds, one minute, she'd never make it here in time."

We yelled back and forth for twenty-seven seconds (and I would know, I kept checking my watch). Then the wind picked up. Chouji and Tenten were trying to restrain me. We all looked to the field before us, where the fierce wind originated from. In a sudden gust, cherry blossoms were thrown in our faces. I gasped. Where no one was standing before, Sakura stood with her eyes closed and her back against another woman's. She - Sakura - looked amazing! So strong and confident.

Sakura, who was facing me, opened her eyes and winked at me.

"Thank you, Ino-pig!"

I smiled at her. "You're welcome, Forehead!" She turned to thank Naruto, and I heard Tenten gasp.

"Tsu-Tsunade-sama!" She said under her breath.

"Huh? Who's that?" I asked her.

****Sakura POV****

I woke up late, that's all there was to it. Those pills… I should have taken one. I overslept, and was adamant about getting in that half-hour of training. So I did, even if I barely beat the clock. I know the lazy proctor was about to disqualify me a minute early. If it weren't for Ino and Naruto, I wouldn't have this chance. I promised myself to treat them both to ramen afterwards.

But as I stood here, back to back with Sensei, whispers erupted in the stands. Even the proctor and a few of my fellow contestants were shocked. Genma, as Sensei told me his name was, almost dropped the senbon in his mouth. Neji seemed especially mad at me. Temari looked excited. Dosu and Kankuro just seemed surprised. Listening to the whispers in the wind, I picked up a few words. _'Legendary… Jiraiya… Sanin… Tsunade… Orochimaru.' _Orochimaru?

"Sensei…?" I asked. She sighed.

"My name is Tsunade."

"As in, the one of the Legendary Sanin Tsunade? Konoha's Slug Princess?" She nodded. Looking back, maybe I should have picked up on this. "W-why didn't you tell me?"

Instead of answering, she turned to me and smiled. She put a hand on my shoulder and said, "I have faith in you, Sakura."

"'Sakura'? So-" She disappeared. Of course. But… she believes in me. With probably the goofiest smile on my face, I took my place beside Gaara. The proctor still seemed pretty out of it, but he cleared his throat and explained the rules.

"Same as before: no rules. The fight is over when one competitor is either dead, unable to continue, or forfeits. If I step in, the match is over. Now, the first two up are Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Neji. Those two stay here, while everyone else goes to the waiting room."

I wished good luck to Naruto, then followed the others to the room above the field. He and Naruto fought, and I could see the determination in Naruto's eyes. He remembered the promise he made for Hinata. They practically destroyed the arena! I smiled at him anyway. And, to everyone's (well, most people's) surprise, he won! He joined us in the waiting room, where I congratulated him. Next up: Sasuke and the Sound nin.

Both of them walked by me stiffly. I wished good luck to Sasuke, and he gave me that smoldering half-smile of his. But it didn't seem to… well, _smolder_ like it used to, I guess. It gave me butterflies in my stomach, but they weren't as frantic as usual. They calmed down quicker than they used to. I just watched the battle.

"Finally… I've been waiting for the chance to fight you, Uchiha Sasuke. I _will_ kill you." Dosu told Sasuke creepily.

"Second match - Uchiha Sasuke versus Kinuta Dosu, now begin." With that, Genma stood to one side of the ring. For a few minutes, they just stood there, facing each other. I guess to wait for the other to make the first move. Sasuke did it, throwing a few kunai and shuriken almost impossibly fast. Dosu raised his right arm in defense, and the projectiles were knocked away by waves of sound. Dosu then moved in for a close-range attack. Sasuke, virtually impossible to see, moved out of the way, throwing more kunai at the charging Sound nin. This time, he just let them hit the metal part of his arm and bounce harmlessly away from him.

"Go Sasuke!" I heard Ino call from across the stadium. She really is loud.

Dosu moved in really close to Sasuke, and started attacking. Sasuke dodged and locked, but he fell for the attack - Dosu's sound waves. I could tell when they took effect. Sasuke jumped away from his attacker stumbling and grasping an ear. I could see blood slip from between his fingers as he fell to the ground and vomited. He stood on shaky legs and tried to attack again, only to meet the dirt again. Dosu chuckled darkly and strolled calmly over to Sasuke, talking about how he was going to be the favorite from now on. Right as he reached Sasuke, though, Sasuke stood with a smirk on his face. He held one hand in front of him, and it erupted in a blue light as the sound of chirping birds filled the air around us. I gasped and jumped away from the rail as if it shocked me. Covering my mouth with both hands, I leaned against the wall away from it and just took shaky breaths.

"Are you alright, Sakura-chan?" Shikamaru asked me. I nodded and slid to the ground; he shrugged and turned back to the match. My breathing evened out as I felt someone sit beside me.

"What's the matter?" Temari's cool, hushed voice asked.

"It's nothing." The dream flashed through my mind. Sasuke's eyes, his hand…. The fact that he tried to kill me with that jutsu just won't leave my mind. I flinch when I hear the chirping again, gripping my knees with my hands. "Well…" In the end, I wind up telling Temari my dream. She didn't seem to believe it, but she didn't really say anything either. Kankuro, who had been eavesdropping, responded.

"Are you sure this is our brother you saw?" he asked me.

"Yes, I'm sure." I responded. We didn't really talk much after that, since Sasuke returned victorious. He didn't really seem too happy, but I congratulated him anyway.

"The third match, Sabaku no Kankuro versus Aburame Shino will now begin. Will the contestants please come down?"

**Sorry for the half-assed (literally) fight scene. And I'm ending it early(shorter than usual), because I think ya'll have been waiting long enough, right? Besides, I need to know if ya'll want Kankuro and Shino to fight or do you want Kankuro to give up like in the manga/anime? If they do fight, who wins? I have a poll on my profile, so go vote, ok?**


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